485BPOS 1 d374071d485bpos.htm 485BPOS 485BPOS

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 26, 2017

1933 Act File No. 333-150525

1940 Act File No. 811-22201

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20543

 

 

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

  
Pre-Effective Amendment No.   
Post-Effective Amendment No. 184   

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

  
Amendment No. 186   

(Check appropriate box or boxes.)

 

 

DIREXION SHARES ETF TRUST

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

 

1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor

New York, New York 10019

(Address of Principal Executive Office) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (646) 572-3390

 

 

Daniel D. O’Neill, Chief Executive Officer

1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor

New York, New York 10019

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

Copy to:

 

Angela Brickl  
Rafferty Asset Management, LLC   Stacy L. Fuller
1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue)   K&L Gates LLP
28th Floor   1601 K Street, NW
New York, New York 10019   Washington, DC 20006

 

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)

 

  immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
  On (date) pursuant to paragraph (b)
  60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
  On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
  75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
  on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.

If appropriate, check the following box:

 

  This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

 

 

 


DIREXION SHARES ETF TRUST

CONTENTS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT

This registration document is comprised of the following:

Cover Sheet

Contents of Registration Statement:

Prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information for the funds listed below under Appendix A;

Part C of Form N-1A;

Signature Page; and

Exhibit.


Appendix A

Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares

Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares

Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares

Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares

 

Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares   
Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares    Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares


Direxion Shares ETF Trust
Prospectus
1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor New York, New York 10019 866-476-7523
www.direxioninvestments.com
1X BEAR FUNDS
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares
April 26, 2017
The shares offered in this prospectus (each a "Fund" and collectively the "Funds"), upon commencement of operations, will be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc.
The Funds seek daily inverse investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. Each Fund attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the inverse (or opposite) of the performance of its underlying index.
The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Investors should note that:
(1) Each Fund pursues a daily investment objective that is inverse to the performance of its underlying index, a result opposite of most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.
(2) The Funds seek daily inverse investment results that are subject to compounding and market volatility risk. The pursuit of their daily investment objective means that the return of a Fund for a period longer than a full trading day will be the product of a series of daily returns, with daily repositioned exposure, for each trading day during the relevant period. As a consequence, especially in periods of market volatility, the volatility of the underlying index may affect a Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily inverse investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. During periods of high volatility, the Funds may not perform as expected and the Funds may have losses when an investor may have expected gains if the Funds are held for a period that is different than one trading day.
The Funds are not suitable for all investors. The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Investors in the Funds should:
(a) understand the consequences of seeking daily inverse investment results;
(b) understand the risk of shorting; and
(c) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments.
Investors who do not understand the Funds, or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments, should not buy the Funds.
There is no assurance that any Fund will achieve its daily inverse investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), nor have the SEC or CFTC passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 


 

Summary Section
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares (“Fund”) seeks daily inverse investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. The pursuit of daily inverse investment goals means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a full trading day may have no resemblance to -100% of the return of the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each single day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -100% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods and higher volatility of the Index increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -100% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 100% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.58%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.11%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.47%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.45% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$48 $175
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit
 
 
1 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is a U.S. Dollar-denominated emerging markets debt index that tracks the total return performance of actively- traded external debt instruments in emerging market countries. An emerging market country’s external debt is the total debt owed to foreign creditors, such as to banks, foreign governments, or international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank. In contrast, the internal debt is owed to domestic creditors. The Index limits the weights of countries with higher outstanding debt and increases the weights of countries with lower outstanding debt.
The Index includes both fixed-rate and floating-rate instruments issued by sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities from Index-eligible countries. Quasi-sovereign entities are entities whose securities are either 100% owned by their respective governments or subject to a 100% guarantee that does not rise to the level of constituting the full faith and credit of such governments. Only those instruments which: (i) are denominated in U.S. Dollars; (ii) have a current face amount outstanding of $1 billion or more; (iii) have at least two years until maturity; (iv) are able to settle internationally through Euroclear or another institution domiciled outside the issuing country; and (v) have bid and offer prices that are available on a daily and timely basis, are considered for inclusion in the Index. As of March 31, 2017, the Index consisted of both investment-grade and non-investment-grade bonds (also known as “junk bonds”). Convertible bonds are not eligible for inclusion in the Index. The Index is rebalanced monthly on the last business day of the month.
As of March 31, 2017, the Index included 412 constituents from the following 54 countries: Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vietnam, and Zambia and the Index’s five highest weighted countries were Mexico, Indonesia, Russia, Turkey and Brazil.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index,
short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -100% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -100% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -100% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 2

 

volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.04% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.23% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -100% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -100% of the performance of the Index.
One Year
Index
-100%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 60% 148.55% 134.42% 95.28% 43.98% -5.83%
-50% 50% 99.13% 87.77% 56.26% 15.23% -24.77%
-40% 40% 66.08% 56.57% 30.21% -4.08% -37.57%
-30% 30% 42.43% 34.25% 11.56% -17.98% -46.76%
-20% 20% 24.67% 17.47% -2.47% -28.38% -53.72%
-10% 10% 10.83% 4.44% -13.28% -36.52% -58.79%
0% 0% -0.25% -6.04% -22.08% -42.90% -63.23%
10% -10% -9.32% -14.64% -29.23% -48.27% -66.67%
20% -20% -16.89% -21.75% -35.24% -52.72% -69.67%
30% -30% -23.29% -27.84% -40.25% -56.41% -71.94%
40% -40% -28.78% -33.01% -44.63% -59.81% -74.32%
50% -50% -33.55% -37.52% -48.57% -62.60% -76.19%
60% -60% -37.72% -41.51% -51.96% -65.19% -78.12%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from January 20, 2017 (the inception date of the Index) to March 31, 2017 was 3.15%. The Index’s annualized performance for the period from January 20, 2017 to March 31, 2017 was 5.00%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined
3 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

  reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index
declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -100% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$100 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$99 and the net assets will rise by $1 to $101. With net assets of $101 and exposure of -$99, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -98% exposure of her investment instead of -100%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 4

 

correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to be consistent with its daily inverse investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Debt Instrument Risk The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration. Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Credit Risk The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s value and thus have an impact on Fund net asset value and performance.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk - The Fund will invest in, and/or have exposure to, assets in securities rated below investment grade, otherwise known as “junk bonds.” Investments in junk bonds generally involve significantly greater risks of loss of your money than an investment in investment-grade bonds. Compared with issuers of investment-grade bonds, junk bonds are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and to be materially affected by these difficulties. As a result, junk bonds may be sensitive to economic changes, political changes, or adverse developments specific to a company. These securities generally involve greater risk of default or price changes than other types of fixed-income securities and the Fund’s performance may vary significantly as a result.
Prepayment Risk Many types of debt securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the security will repay principal prior to the maturity date. Securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. As a result, the Fund may have to reinvest its assets in other debt securities that have lower yields.
Interest Rate Risk Debt instruments have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt instrument or security will fall when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates fall. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically-low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Changes or volatility in interest rates may materially affect the performance of the Fund. The effect of increased interest rates is more pronounced for any intermediate-term or longer-term fixed income obligations. Recent events in the fixed-income market may expose the Fund to heightened interest rate risk and volatility.
Emerging Markets Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, emerging markets instruments involves greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Risks of investing in emerging market countries include political or social upheaval, nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets and risks from an economy’s dependence on revenues from particular commodities or industries. In addition, currency transfer restrictions, limited potential buyers for such instruments, delays and disruption in settlement procedures and illiquidity or low volumes of transactions may make exits difficult or impossible at times.
Frontier Markets Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, frontier markets involves greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Frontier markets are those
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emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid and as a result, may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed and traditional emerging markets. Investments in frontier markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed and traditional emerging markets. Frontier markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuations and greater risk associated with custody of securities. Economic, political, liquidity and currency risks are more pronounced with respect to investments in frontier markets than in emerging markets.
Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, uncollateralized bonds issued by agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities of foreign governments. Bonds issued by these foreign government agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities are generally only backed by the creditworthiness and reputation of the entities issuing the bonds and may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the foreign government. Moreover, a foreign government that explicitly provides its full faith and credit to a particular entity may be, due to changed circumstances, unable or unwilling to actually provide that support. If a non-U.S. agency is unable to meet its obligations, the Fund will be materially impacted. A non-U.S. agency’s operations and financial condition are influenced by the foreign government’s economic and other policies. Changes to the financial condition or the credit rating of a foreign government may cause the value of debt issued by that particular foreign government’s agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the trading of non-U.S. agency bonds may be less liquid and market prices may be more volatile than prices of U.S. agency bonds. Additional risks associated with non-U.S. agency investing include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, adverse changes in investment or change of control regulations, political instability, which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with, or backed by, a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt obligation, including U.S. Treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect the Fund.
Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered
difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of futures contracts, options and swap agreements include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the
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possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
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Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares (“Fund”) seeks daily inverse investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. The pursuit of daily inverse investment goals means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a full trading day may have no resemblance to -100% of the return of the MSCI US REIT Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each single day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -100% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods and higher volatility of the Index increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -100% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 100% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.58%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.11%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.47%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.45% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$48 $175
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is comprised of equity real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) that are included in the MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index, with the exception of specialty equity REITs that do not generate a majority of their revenue and income from real estate rental and leasing operations. The Index represents approximately 99% of the U.S. REIT universe.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 154 constituents which had a median market capitalization of $2.9 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $309 million to $55.8 billion and were concentrated in the real estate sector.
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The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -100% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -100% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -100% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.04% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.23% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -100% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -100% of the performance of the Index.
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One Year
Index
-100%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 60% 148.55% 134.42% 95.28% 43.98% -5.83%
-50% 50% 99.13% 87.77% 56.26% 15.23% -24.77%
-40% 40% 66.08% 56.57% 30.21% -4.08% -37.57%
-30% 30% 42.43% 34.25% 11.56% -17.98% -46.76%
-20% 20% 24.67% 17.47% -2.47% -28.38% -53.72%
-10% 10% 10.83% 4.44% -13.28% -36.52% -58.79%
0% 0% -0.25% -6.04% -22.08% -42.90% -63.23%
10% -10% -9.32% -14.64% -29.23% -48.27% -66.67%
20% -20% -16.89% -21.75% -35.24% -52.72% -69.67%
30% -30% -23.29% -27.84% -40.25% -56.41% -71.94%
40% -40% -28.78% -33.01% -44.63% -59.81% -74.32%
50% -50% -33.55% -37.52% -48.57% -62.60% -76.19%
60% -60% -37.72% -41.51% -51.96% -65.19% -78.12%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.81%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 16.98% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 11.85%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may
not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may
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fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the
same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -100% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$100 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$99 and the net assets will rise by $1 to $101. With net assets of $101 and exposure of -$99, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -98% exposure of her investment instead of -100%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to be consistent with its daily inverse investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Real Estate Sector Risk - The Fund will focus its investments in, and/or have exposure to, securities issued by commercial and residential real estate companies. Real estate securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including changes in local and general economic conditions, vacancy rates, interest rates, zoning laws, rental income, property taxes, operating expenses and losses from casualty or condemnation. An investment in a real estate investment trust is subject to additional risks, including poor performance by the manager
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 12

 

of the real estate investment trust, adverse tax consequences, and limited diversification resulting from being invested in a limited number or type of properties or a narrow geographic area.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of futures contracts, options and swap agreements include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase
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agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet
the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Overview of the Funds
The Direxion Shares ETF Trust (“Trust”) is a registered investment company offering a number of separate exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). This Prospectus describes the ETFs noted in the table below (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”). Rafferty Asset Management, LLC serves as the investment adviser to each Fund (“Rafferty” or “Adviser”).
The Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares is referred to as the "Fixed Income Fund."
The Funds seek daily inverse investment results, before fees and expenses, which correspond to 100% of the inverse of the performance of an underlying index. For example, the daily inverse investment objective for the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares is the inverse, or opposite, of the daily total return of the performance of the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index. If, on a given day, the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index gains 1%, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares is designed to lose approximately 1% (which is equal to -100% of 1%). Conversely, if the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index loses 1% on a given day, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares is designed to gain approximately 1%. As used in this Prospectus, the terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Each Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the inverse (-100%) of the performance of an underlying index, before fees and expenses, as follows:
Fund Underlying Index
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index
Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares MSCI US REIT Index
Shares of the Funds (“Shares”), upon commencement of operations, will be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”). When Shares are listed and traded on the Exchange, the market prices for the Shares may be different from the intra-day value of the Shares disseminated by the Exchange and from their net asset value (“NAV”). Unlike conventional mutual funds, Shares are not individually redeemable securities. Rather, each Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis at NAV only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.” A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares. Creation Units of the Funds are issued and redeemed for cash.
Shares may only be purchased from, or redeemed with, each Fund in Creation Units. As a result, retail investors generally will not be able to purchase or redeem Shares directly from, or with, each Fund. Most retail investors will purchase or sell Shares in the secondary market with the assistance of a broker. Thus, some of the information contained in this Prospectus, such as information about purchasing and redeeming Shares from, or with, a Fund and all references to the transaction fee imposed on purchases and redemptions, is not relevant to retail investors.
To pursue each Fund’s investment objective, each Fund uses aggressive investment techniques such as engaging in futures, swaps and options transactions. As a result, each Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily inverse investment results, understand the risks of shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. Each Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
Changes in Investment Objective. Each Fund’s investment objective is not a fundamental policy and may be changed by the Funds' Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.
Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies
Rafferty uses a number of investment techniques in an effort to achieve the stated daily inverse investment objective for each Fund. Each Fund seeks -100% of the return of its underlying index on a given day. As such, the Funds are managed to provide returns inverse (or opposite) to the return of a Fund’s underlying index for a one-day period.
Rafferty creates net “short” positions for the Funds. (Rafferty may create long positions in the Funds even though the net exposure in the Funds will be short.) Long positions move in the same direction as the underlying index, advancing when the underlying index advances and declining when the underlying index declines. Short positions move in the opposite direction of the underlying index, advancing when the underlying index declines and declining when the underlying index advances.
In seeking to achieve each Fund’s investment objective, Rafferty uses statistical and quantitative analysis to determine the investments each Fund makes and the techniques it employs. Rafferty relies upon a pre-determined model to generate orders that result in repositioning each Fund’s investments in accordance with its daily inverse investment objective. Using this approach, Rafferty determines the type, quantity and mix of investment positions that it believes in combination should
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produce daily returns consistent with a Fund’s investment objective. In general, if a Fund is performing as designed, the return of the underlying index will dictate the return for the Fund. Each Fund generally pursues its investment objective regardless of market conditions and does not take defensive positions.
Each Fund offered in this prospectus may invest significantly in the following short types of derivatives: swap agreements, futures contracts, options on securities, future contracts and stock indices, and other financial instruments. Rafferty uses these types of investments to produce inverse returns compared to each Fund’s applicable underlying index.
At the close of the markets each trading day, each Fund will position its portfolio to ensure that the Fund’s exposure to its underlying index is consistent with the Fund’s stated daily inverse investment objective. The impact of market movements during the day determines whether a portfolio needs to be repositioned. If the underlying index has risen on a given day, a Fund’s assets (i.e., net assets plus borrowing for investment purposes, if any) should fall, meaning its exposure may need to be decreased. Conversely, if the underlying index has fallen on a given day, a Fund’s net assets should rise, meaning its exposure may need to be increased. Any of the Funds’ portfolios may also need to be changed to reflect changes in the composition of their underlying index. Rafferty increases a Fund’s exposure when its assets rise and reduces a Fund’s exposure when its assets fall.
The Funds are designed to provide daily investment returns, before fees and expenses, of 100% of the inverse of the daily performance of their underlying indices. A Fund may have difficulty in achieving its daily inverse investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, accounting standards, significant purchase and redemption activity by Fund shareholders and/or disruptions or a temporary lack of liquidity in the markets for the securities held by the Fund. Additionally, if a Fund’s underlying index includes foreign securities or tracks a foreign market index where the foreign market closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) closes (generally at 4 p.m. Eastern Time), the performance of the underlying index may differ from the expected daily inverse performance. As such, correlation to an underlying index for Funds that track an underlying index that includes foreign securities will generally be measured by comparing the daily change in a Fund’s NAV per share to the performance of one or more U.S. ETFs that reflect the values of the securities of the underlying index as of the Fund’s NAV calculation time.
The Funds seek daily returns while repositioning exposure daily. Therefore, for a period longer than one day, the pursuit of a daily investment objective may result in daily compounding. This means that the return of an underlying index over a period of time greater than one day multiplied by a Fund’s daily target (i.e., -100%) generally will not equal a Fund’s performance over that same period. Consider the following examples:
Mary is considering investments in two funds, Funds A and B. Fund A is a traditional index ETF which seeks (before fees and expenses) to match the performance of the XYZ index. Similar to the Funds, Fund B is an ETF that seeks daily investment results (before fees and expenses) that correspond to -100% of the daily performance of the XYZ index.
On Day 1, the XYZ index increases in value from $100 to $105, a gain of 5%. On Day 2, the XYZ index decreases from $105 back to $100, a loss of 4.76%. In the aggregate, the XYZ index has not moved.
An investment in Fund A would be expected to gain 5% on Day 1 and lose 4.76% on Day 2 to return to its original value. The following example assumes a $100 investment in Fund A when the index is also valued at $100:
Day Index Value Index Performance Value of Investment
  $100.00   $100.00
1 $105.00 5.00% $105.00
2 $100.00 -4.76% $100.00
The same $100 investment in Fund B would be expected to decrease in value on Day 1, but gain value on Day 2. The $100 investment in Fund B would be expected to lose 5% on Day 1 (-100% of 5%) but gain 4.76% on Day 2.
Day Index Performance -100% of Index Performance Value of Investment
      $100.00
1 5.00% -5.00% $95.00
2 -4.76% 4.76% $99.52
In the case of Fund B, although the percentage decrease on Day 2 is sufficient to bring the value of the index back to its starting point, because the inverse of that percentage is applied to a lower principal amount on Day 2, Fund B has a loss. (These calculations do not include the charges for expense ratio and financing charges.) As you can see, investment in Fund B has additional risks than Fund A due to the effects of compounding on Fund B.
The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and ETFs. First, each Fund pursues a daily investment objective which is inverse to the performance of its underlying index, a result opposite of most mutual funds and ETFs. Second, the Funds seek daily inverse investment results. An investor who purchases shares of a Fund intra-day will generally receive more, or less, than -100% exposure to the underlying index from that point until the end of the trading day. The actual exposure is a function of the performance of the underlying index from the end of the prior trading day. If a Fund’s shares are held
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for a period longer than a single trading day, the Fund’s performance is likely to deviate from -100% of the return of the underlying index performance for the longer period. This deviation will increase with higher index volatility and longer holding periods. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold the Funds unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day or for a period different than a trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily inverse investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. The Funds are not suitable for all investors.
For investments held for longer than a trading day, volatility in the performance of the underlying index from day to day is the primary cause of any disparity between a Fund’s actual returns, the product of the Fund’s beta and the returns of the underlying index for such longer period. Volatility causes such disparity because it exacerbates the effects of compounding on a Fund’s returns. For example, consider the following three examples that demonstrate the effect of volatility on a hypothetical fund seeking an -100% correlation with an underlying index:
Example 1 Underlying Index Experiences Low Volatility
Mary invests $10.00 in a hypothetical fund at the close of trading on Day 1. During Day 2, the fund’s underlying index decreases from 100 to 98, a 2% gain. Mary’s investment rises 2% to $10.20. Mary holds her investment through the close of trading on Day 3, during which the fund’s underlying index decreases from 98 to 96, a loss of 2.04%. Mary’s investment rises to $10.41, a gain during Day 3 of 2.04%. For the two day period since Mary invested in the fund, the underlying index lost 4% although Mary’s investment increased by 4.1%. Because the underlying index continued to trend upwards with low volatility, Mary’s return closely correlates to the -100% return of the return of the underlying index for the period.
Example 2 Underlying Index Experiences High Volatility
Mary invests $10.00 in a hypothetical fund after the close of trading on Day 1. During Day 2, the fund’s underlying index decreases from 100 to 98, a 2% loss, and Mary’s investment rises 2% to $10.20. Mary continues to hold her investment through the end of Day 3, during which the fund’s underlying index increases from 98 to 102, a gain of 4.08%. Mary’s investment declines by 4.08%, from $10.20 to $9.78. For the two day period since Mary invested in the fund, the fund’s underlying index gained 2% while Mary’s investment decreased from $10 to $9.78, a 2.20% loss. The volatility of the underlying index affected the correlation between the underlying index’s return for the two day period and Mary’s return. In this situation, Mary lost more than -100 the return of the underlying index.
Example 3 Intra-day Investment with Volatility
The examples above assumed that Mary purchased the fund at the close of trading on Day 1 and sold her investment at the close of trading on a subsequent day. However, if she made an investment intra-day, she would have received a beta determined by the performance of the underlying index from the end of the prior trading day until her time of purchase on the next trading day. Consider the following example.
Mary invests $10.00 in a hypothetical fund at 11 a.m. on Day 2. From the close of trading on Day 1 until 11 a.m. on Day 2, the underlying index moved from 100 to 98, a 2% loss. In light of that loss, the fund’s beta at the point at which Mary invests is -96%. During the remainder of Day 2, the fund’s underlying index decreases from 98 to 90, a loss of 8.16%, and Mary’s investment rises 7.83% (which is the underlying index gain of 8.16% multiplied by the 96% beta that she received) to $10.78. Mary continues to hold her investment through the close of trading on Day 2, during which the fund’s underlying index increases from 90 to 110, a gain of 22.22%. Mary’s investment declines by 18.2%, from $10.78 to $8.82. For the period of Mary’s investment, the fund’s underlying index increased from 98 to 110, a gain of 12.25%, while Mary’s investment decreased from $10.00 to $8.82, an 11.8% loss. The volatility of the underlying index affected the correlation between the index’s return for period and Mary’s return. In this situation, Mary lost less than -100 of the return of the underlying index. Mary’s investment was also affected because she missed the first 2% move of the underlying index and had a beta of -96% for the remainder of Day 2.
The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Such investors are expected to monitor and manage their portfolios frequently. Investors in the Funds should: (a) understand the consequences of seeking daily investment results, (b) understand the risk of shorting, and (c) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments. Investors who do not understand the Funds or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments should not buy the Funds. There is no assurance that any of the Funds offered in this Prospectus will achieve their investment objectives and an investment in any Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
Market Volatility. Each Fund seeks to provide a return which is -100% of the daily performance of its underlying index. No Fund attempts to, and no Fund should be expected to, provide returns which are -100% of the return of the underlying index for periods other than a single day. Each Fund rebalances its portfolio on a daily basis, increasing exposure in response to that day’s gains or reducing exposure in response to that day’s losses.
Daily rebalancing will impair a Fund’s performance if the underlying index experiences volatility. For instance, a Fund would be expected to lose 4% (as shown in Table 1 below) if its underlying index provided no return over a one year period and
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experienced annualized volatility of 20%. If the underlying index’s annualized volatility were to rise to 40%, the hypothetical loss for a one year period for a Fund widens to approximately 15%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of Fund value even if the underlying index is flat. For instance, if annualized volatility of the underlying index is 100%, a fund targeted to the same underlying index would be expected to lose more than 60% of its value even if the cumulative underlying index return for the year was 0%. An index’s volatility rate is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns of an index.
Table 1
Volatility Range Fund Loss
10% -1%
20% -4%
30% -9%
40% -15%
50% -22%
60% -30%
70% -39%
80% -47%
90% -55%
100% -63%
Table 2 shows the volatility rate for the Funds’ underlying indices over the five year period ended December 31, 2016. If an index has been in existence for less than 5 years, its inception date is noted next to its name in Table 2. The underlying indices have annualized historical volatility rates over that period ranging from 3.15% to 14.81%. Since market volatility has negative implications for Funds which rebalance daily, investors should be sure to monitor and manage their investments in the Funds particularly in volatile markets. The negative implications of volatility in Table 1 can be combined with the recent volatility ranges of various indices in Table 2 to give investors some sense of the risks of holding the Funds for long periods. These tables are intended to simply underscore the fact that the Funds are designed as short-term trading vehicles. The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios.
Table 2 Historic Volatility of each Fund’s Benchmark Index
Index 5-Year Historical
Volatility
Rate
J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index 
(From Inception on January 20, 2017 through March 31, 2017)
3.15%
MSCI US REIT Index 14.81%
The intra-day value of each Fund’s shares, otherwise known as the “intraday indicative value” or “IOPV,” which is disseminated by the Exchange every 15 seconds throughout the business day, is based on the current market value of the securities and cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit on the prior business day. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund at a particular point in time, nor the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund’s NAV, which is computed only once a day.
The Projected Return of a Fund for a Single Trading Day. Each Fund seeks to provide a daily return which is the inverse (or opposite) of the daily return of an underlying index. To create the necessary exposure, a Fund engages in short selling— borrowing and selling securities it does not own. The money that a Fund receives from short salesthe short sale proceeds
is an asset of the Fund that can generate income to help offset the Fund’s operating expenses. However, the costs of creating short exposure, which may require the Fund’s counterparties to borrow and sell certain securities, may offset or outweigh such income. As the holder of a short position, a Fund also is responsible for paying the dividends and interest accruing on the short position, which is an expense to the Fund that could cause the Fund to lose money on the short sale and may adversely affect its performance. Each Fund will reposition its portfolio at the end of every trading day. Therefore, if an investor purchases Fund shares at close of the markets on a given trading day, the investor’s exposure to the underlying index of a Fund would reflect 100% of the inverse performance of the underlying index during the following trading day, subject to the charges and expenses noted above, regardless of whether the investor sells the shares during that day.
The Projected Returns of Funds for Intra-Day Purchases. Because the Funds rebalance their portfolios once daily, an investor who purchases shares during a day will likely have more, or less, than -100% investment exposure to the underlying index for a Fund. The exposure to the underlying index received by an investor who purchases a Fund intra-day will differ from the Fund’s stated daily investment objective (i.e.,-100%) by an amount determined by the movement of the underlying index from its value at the end of the prior day. If the underlying index moves in a direction favorable to the Fund between the close of the market on one trading day through the time on the next trading day when the investor purchases Fund
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 18

 

shares, the investor will receive less exposure to the underlying index than the stated fund daily investment objective (i.e., -100%). Conversely, if the underlying index moves in a direction adverse to the Fund, the investor will receive more exposure to the underlying index than the stated fund daily inverse investment objective (i.e., -100%).
Table 3 below indicates the exposure to the underlying index that an intra-day purchase of a Fund would be expected to provide based upon the movement in the value of a Fund’s underlying index from the close of the market on the prior trading day. Such exposure holds until a subsequent sale on that same trading day or until the close of the market on that trading day. For instance, if the underlying index of a Fund has moved 2% in a direction favorable to a Fund, the investor would receive exposure to the performance of the underlying index from that point until the investor sells later that day or the end of the day equal to approximately 96% of the investor’s investment.
Conversely, if the underlying index has moved 2% in a direction unfavorable to a Fund, an investor at that point would receive exposure to the performance of the underlying index from that point until the investor sells later that day or the end of the day equal to approximately -104% of the investor’s investment.
The table includes a range of underlying index moves from 5% to 5% for a Fund; index moves beyond the range noted below will result in exposure further from a Fund’s daily investment objective.
Table 3
Index Move Resulting Exposure for a Fund
-5% -90%
-4% -92%
-3% -94%
-2% -96%
-1% -98%
0% -100%
1% -102%
2% -104%
3% -106%
4% -108%
5% -110%
The Projected Returns of the Funds for Periods Other Than a Single Trading Day. The Funds seek investment results on a daily basisfrom the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading daywhich should not be equated with seeking an investment objective for any other period. For instance, if the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index gains 10% for a week, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares should not be expected to provide a return of -10% for the week even if it meets its daily investment objective throughout the week. This is true because of the financing charges noted above but also because the pursuit of daily investment objectives may result in daily compounding, which means that the return of an underlying index over a period of time greater than one day multiplied by a Fund’s daily inverse investment objective (-100%) will not generally equal a Fund’s performance over that same period. In addition, the effects of compounding become greater the longer Shares are held beyond a single trading day.
The following charts set out a range of hypothetical daily performances during a given 10 trading days of an underlying index and demonstrate how changes in the underlying index impact a Fund’s performance for one trading day and cumulatively up to, and including, the entire 10 trading day period. The charts are based on a hypothetical $100 investment in a Fund over a 10 trading day period and do not reflect expenses of any kind.
Table 4 The Index Lacks a Clear Trend
Index Fund
  Value Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
  100     $100.00    
Day 1 105 5.00% 5.00% $ 95.00 -5.00% -5.00%
Day 2 110 4.76% 10.00% $ 90.47 -4.76% -9.53%
Day 3 100 -9.09% 0.00% $ 98.69 9.09% -1.31%
Day 4 90 -10.00% -10.00% $108.55 10.00% 8.55%
Day 5 85 -5.56% -15.00% $114.58 5.56% 14.58%
Day 6 100 17.65% 0.00% $ 94.35 -17.65% -5.65%
Day 7 95 -5.00% -5.00% $ 99.06 5.00% -0.94%
Day 8 100 5.26% 0.00% $ 93.84 -5.26% -6.16%
Day 9 105 5.00% 5.00% $ 89.14 -5.00% -10.86%
Day 10 100 -4.76% 0.00% $ 93.38 4.76% -6.62%
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The cumulative performance of the hypothetical underlying index in Table 4 is 0% for 10 trading days. The return of a hypothetical Fund for the 10 trading day period is -6.62%. The volatility of the hypothetical underlying index performance and lack of a clear trend results in performance for a hypothetical Fund for the period which bears little relationship to the performance of the hypothetical underlying index for the 10 trading day period.
Table 5 The Index Rises in a Clear Trend
Index Fund
  Value Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
  100     $100.00    
Day 1 102 2.00% 2.00% $ 98.00 -2.00% -2.00%
Day 2 104 1.96% 4.00% $ 96.07 -1.96% -3.93%
Day 3 106 1.92% 6.00% $ 94.22 -1.92% -5.78%
Day 4 108 1.89% 8.00% $ 92.43 -1.89% -7.57%
Day 5 110 1.85% 10.00% $ 90.72 -1.85% -9.28%
Day 6 112 1.82% 12.00% $ 89.06 -1.82% -10.94%
Day 7 114 1.79% 14.00% $ 87.46 -1.79% -12.54%
Day 8 116 1.75% 16.00% $ 85.92 -1.75% -14.08%
Day 9 118 1.72% 18.00% $ 84.44 -1.72% -15.56%
Day 10 120 1.69% 20.00% $ 83.01 -1.69% -16.91%
The cumulative performance of the hypothetical underlying index in Table 5 is 20% for 10 trading days. The return of a hypothetical Fund for the 10 trading day period is -16.91%. In this case, because of the positive hypothetical underlying index trend, a hypothetical Fund’s decline is less than -100% of the hypothetical underlying index gain for the 10 trading day period.
Table 6 The Index Declines in a Clear Trend
Index Fund
  Value Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
  100     $100.00    
Day 1 98 -2.00% -2.00% $102.00 2.00% 2.00%
Day 2 96 -2.04% -4.00% $104.08 2.04% 4.08%
Day 3 94 -2.08% -6.00% $106.24 2.08% 6.24%
Day 4 92 -2.13% -8.00% $108.50 2.13% 8.50%
Day 5 90 -2.17% -10.00% $110.85 2.17% 10.85%
Day 6 88 -2.22% -12.00% $113.31 2.22% 13.31%
Day 7 86 -2.27% -14.00% $115.88 2.27% 15.88%
Day 8 84 -2.33% -16.00% $118.58 2.33% 18.58%
Day 9 82 -2.38% -18.00% $121.40 2.38% 21.40%
Day 10 80 -2.44% -20.00% $124.36 2.44% 24.36%
The cumulative performance of the hypothetical underlying index in Table 6 is -20% for 10 trading days. The return of a hypothetical Fund for the 10 trading day period is 24.36%. In this case, because of the negative hypothetical underlying index trend, a hypothetical Fund’s gain is greater than 100% of the hypothetical underlying index decline for the 10 trading day period.
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Additional Information Regarding Principal Risks
An investment in a Fund entails risks. A Fund could lose money, or its performance could trail that of other investment alternatives. Rafferty cannot guarantee that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. In addition, a Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review and understand these risks before making an investment in a Fund. The table below provides the risks of investing in the Funds. Following the table, each risk is explained.
     
  Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk X X
Derivatives Risk X X
Counterparty Risk X X
Shorting Risk X X
Cash Transaction Risk X X
Intra-Day Investment Risk X X
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk X X
Credit Risk X  
Debt Instrument Risk X  
Emerging Markets Risk X  
Frontier Markets Risk X  
Interest Rate Risk X  
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk X  
Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk X  
Prepayment Risk X  
Real Estate Sector Risk   X
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk X  
Large-Capitalization Company Risk   X
Small- and /or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk   X
Foreign Securities Risk X  
International Closed-Market Trading Risk X  
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk X X
Early Close/ Trading Halt Risk X X
Equity Securities Risk   X
High Portfolio Turnover Risk X X
Investment Risk X X
Liquidity Risk X X
Market Risk X X
Money Market Instrument Risk X X
Non-Diversification Risk X X
Regulatory Risk X X
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds X X
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk
Each Fund has a daily investment objective and a Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than the underlying index’s performance times the stated multiple in a Fund’s investment objective, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary. Each Fund does not attempt to, and should not be expected to, provide returns, before fees and expenses, which are -100% of the performance of its underlying index for periods other than one trading day. The effect of compounding becomes
more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase. The impact of compounding will affect each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in a Fund is held and the volatility of its underlying index during the period an investment in a Fund is held.
As a result, over time, the cumulative percentage increase or decrease in the value of a Fund’s portfolio may diverge significantly from the cumulative percentage increase or decrease in 100% of the return of a Fund's underlying index due to the compounding effect of losses and gains on the returns of a Fund. It also is expected that a Fund will underperform the return of -100% of its underlying index in a trendless or flat market. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced on a Fund’s performance as its
 
 
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underlying index experiences volatility. An index’s volatility rate is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns of the index.
The chart below provides examples of how index volatility could affect a Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) index volatility; b) index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in its underlying index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors index volatility and index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of index volatility and index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in its underlying index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown.
As shown below, a Fund would be expected to lose 6.04% if its underlying index provided no return over a one year period during which the index experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the underlying index’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one year period widens to approximately 42.9%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in a Fund. For instance, if the underlying index’s annualized volatility is 100%, a Fund would be expected to lose approximately 63.23% of its value, even if the cumulative index return for the year was 0%. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the underlying index such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of a Fund’s underlying index.
One Year
Index
-100%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 60% 148.55% 134.42% 95.28% 43.98% -5.83%
-50% 50% 99.13% 87.77% 56.26% 15.23% -24.77%
-40% 40% 66.08% 56.57% 30.21% -4.08% -37.57%
-30% 30% 42.43% 34.25% 11.56% -17.98% -46.76%
-20% 20% 24.67% 17.47% -2.47% -28.38% -53.72%
-10% 10% 10.83% 4.44% -13.28% -36.52% -58.79%
0% 0% -0.25% -6.04% -22.08% -42.90% -63.23%
10% -10% -9.32% -14.64% -29.23% -48.27% -66.67%
20% -20% -16.89% -21.75% -35.24% -52.72% -69.67%
30% -30% -23.29% -27.84% -40.25% -56.41% -71.94%
40% -40% -28.78% -33.01% -44.63% -59.81% -74.32%
50% -50% -33.55% -37.52% -48.57% -62.60% -76.19%
60% -60% -37.72% -41.51% -51.96% -65.19% -78.12%
Holding an unmanaged position opens the investor to the risk of market volatility adversely affecting the performance of the investment. A Fund is not appropriate for investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. These tables are intended to underscore the fact that a Fund is designed as a short-term trading vehicle for
investors who intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios.
For additional information and examples demonstrating the effects of volatility and index performance on the long-term performance of the Funds, see the “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” section, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk
A Fund uses investment techniques, including investments in derivatives, such as swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options that may be considered aggressive. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than shorting the underlying securities. Investments in these derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that cause their prices to fluctuate more than an investment directly in a security and may increase the volatility of a Fund. The use of derivatives may expose a Fund to additional risks such as counterparty risk, liquidity risk and increased daily correlation risk. When a Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the underlying reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent a Fund from achieving its investment objective.
A Fund may use a combination of swaps on the underlying index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same or a substantially similar underlying index. The performance of this underlying ETF may not track the performance of the underlying index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that a Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as an underlying reference asset, a Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the underlying index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the underlying index securities as a reference or as an underlying asset. Additionally, with respect to the use of swap agreements, if the underlying index has a dramatic intraday move in value that causes a material decline in a Fund’s NAV, the terms of the swap agreement between a Fund and its counterparty may allow the counterparty to immediately close out of the transaction with a Fund. In such circumstances, a Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve the desired exposure consistent with a Fund’s daily inverse investment objective. This may prevent a Fund from achieving its daily inverse investment objective particularly if the underlying index reverses all or a portion of its intraday move by the end of the day. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering a Fund’s return. In addition, a Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 22

 

  reference or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index. Total return swaps are subject to counterparty risk, which relates to credit risk of the counterparty and liquidity risk of the swaps themselves.
Futures Contracts. A futures contact is a contract to purchase or sell a particular security, or the cash value of an index, at a specified future date at a price agreed upon when the contract is made. Under such contracts, no delivery of the actual securities is required. Rather, upon the expiration of the contract, settlement is made by exchanging cash in an amount equal to the difference between the contract price and the closing price of a security or index at expiration, net of the variation margin that was previously paid.
Forward Contracts. Forward contracts are two-party contracts pursuant to which one party agrees to pay the counterparty a fixed price for an agreed upon amount of commodities, securities, or the cash value of the commodities, securities or the securities index, at an agreed upon date. A forward currency contract is an obligation to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract.
Options. An option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying the option at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option (normally not exceeding nine months). The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency.
Options on Futures Contracts. An option on a futures contract provides the holder with the right to enter into a “long” position in the underlying futures contract, in the case of a call option, or a “short” position in the underlying futures contract in the case of a put option, at a fixed exercise price to a stated expiration date. Upon exercise of the option by the holder, the contract market clearing house establishes a corresponding short position for the writer of the option, in the case of a call option, or a corresponding long position, in the case of a put option.
Counterparty Risk
Each Fund invests in financial instruments which are subject to the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations with respect to the amount a Fund expects to receive from counterparties to financial instruments. Each Fund generally structures the swap agreements entered into with counterparties such that either party can terminate the contract without penalty prior to the termination date. A Fund may be negatively impacted if a counterparty becomes
bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations under such a contract. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to a Fund, it may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. The Adviser considers factors such as counterparty credit rating among other factors when determining whether a counterparty is creditworthy. The Adviser regularly monitors the creditworthiness of each counterparty with which a Fund transacts. Each Fund generally enters into swap agreements or other financial instruments with major, global financial institutions and seeks to mitigate risks by generally requiring that the counterparties for each Fund agree to post collateral for the benefit of each Fund, marked to market daily, in an amount approximately equal to what the counterparty owes a Fund subject to certain minimum thresholds. To the extent any such collateral is insufficient or there are delays in accessing the collateral, the Funds will be exposed to the risk described above.
In addition, a Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase a Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. A Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. There is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with a Fund and, as a result, a Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objectives. A Fund will not enter into any agreement involving a counterparty unless the Adviser believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. Additionally, although a counterparty to a centrally cleared swap agreement and/or an exchange-traded futures contract is often backed by a futures commission merchant (“FCM”) or a clearing organization that is further backed by a group of financial institutions, there may be instances in which a FCM or a clearing organization would fail to perform its obligations, causing significant losses to a Fund.
Shorting Risk
Shareholders should lose money when a Fund's underlying index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. A Fund may engage in short sales designed to earn the Fund a profit from the decline in the price of particular securities, baskets of securities or indices. Short sales are transactions in which a Fund borrows securities from a broker and sells the borrowed securities. A Fund is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of replacement. If the market price of the underlying security goes down between the time a Fund sells the security and buys it back, a Fund will realize a gain on the transaction. Conversely, if the underlying security goes up in price during the period, a Fund will realize a loss on the transaction. Any such loss is increased by the amount of premium or interest a Fund must pay to the lender of the security. Likewise, any gain will be decreased by the amount of premium or interest a Fund must pay to the lender of the security. A Fund’s investment performance may also suffer if the Fund is required to close out a short position earlier than it had intended. This would occur if the securities lender required a Fund to deliver the securities the Fund borrowed at the
23 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

commencement of the short sale and the Fund was unable to borrow the securities from another securities lender or otherwise obtain the security by other means. In addition, a Fund may be subject to expenses related to short sales that are not typically associated with investing in securities directly, such as costs of borrowing and margin account maintenance costs associated with the Fund’s open short positions. As the holder of a short position, a Fund also is responsible for paying the dividends and interest accruing on the short position, which is an expense to the Fund that could cause the Fund to lose money on the short sale and may adversely affect its performance.
Cash Transaction Risk
Unlike most ETFs, each Fund currently intends to effect creation and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by each Fund. As such, investment in each Fund may be less tax efficient than investment in a conventional ETF. ETFs generally are able to make in-kind redemptions and avoid being taxed on gains on the distributed portfolio securities at the fund level. Because each Fund currently intends to effect redemptions principally for cash, each Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. Each Fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if such Fund had made a redemption in-kind and this may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process.
Intra-Day Investment Risk
Each Fund seeks daily investment results, which should not be equated with seeking an investment objective for shorter than a day. Thus, an investor who purchases Fund shares after the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day will likely have more, or less, than 100% investment exposure to the underlying index, depending upon the movement of the underlying index from the end of one trading day until the time of purchase. If the underlying index moves in a direction favorable to a Fund, the investor will receive less than 100% exposure to the underlying index. Conversely, if the underlying index moves in a direction adverse to a Fund, the investor will receive exposure to the underlying index greater than 100%. Investors may consult the Funds' website at any point during the day to determine how the current value of a Fund's underlying index relates to the value of the underlying index at the end of the previous day.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk
There is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to its underlying index and therefore achieve its daily inverse investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the underlying index, a Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to be consistent with its daily inverse investment objective. A Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives
held by a Fund. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect a Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Because an underlying index may include foreign securities, a Fund’s return may vary from a multiple of the performance of an underlying index due to foreign markets being closed before the NYSE opens or not being open for business on the same calendar days as a Fund. A Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in its underlying index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the underlying index. In addition, a Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the underlying index. A Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to its underlying index. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the underlying index is impacted dynamically by the underlying index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that a Fund will be perfectly exposed to its underlying index at the end of each day. The possibility of a Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to its underlying index increases on days when the underlying index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Activities surrounding periodic underlying index reconstitutions and other underlying index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder a Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse investment objective.
Credit Risk
A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s value and thus have an impact on Fund performance. The degree of credit risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. Lower rated debt securities involve greater credit risk, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy.
Debt Instrument Risk
The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 24

 

Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Emerging Markets Risk
Investments in, and/or exposure to, emerging markets instruments involve greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Risks of investing in emerging market countries include political or social upheaval, nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets. There may also be risks from an economy’s dependence on revenues from particular commodities or industries. In addition, currency transfer restrictions, limited potential buyers for such instruments, delays and disruption in settlement procedures and illiquidity or low volumes of transactions may make exits difficult or impossible at times. Additionally, emerging market countries may include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, security issues that are held by only a few investors, limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issuances or securities offerings may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information.
Frontier Markets Risk
Investments in, and/or exposure to, frontier markets instruments involve greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Frontier markets are those emerging markets considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid. Investments in frontier markets generally are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in developed markets or traditional emerging markets. This is due to, among other things, smaller economies, less developed capital markets, greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments than typically found in more developed markets. Frontier markets are even more prone to economic shocks associated with political and economic risks than are emerging markets generally. Many frontier market countries may be dependent on commodities, foreign trade or foreign aid. As a result, those risks traditionally associated with investments in emerging markets may be more pronounced with respect to investments in frontier market economies.
Interest Rate Risk
Debt securities, and securities that provide exposure to debt securities, have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Due to recent events in the fixed-income markets, including the potential impact of the Federal Reserve Board tapering its quantitative easing program, a Fund may be subject to heightened interest rate risk as a result of a rise in interest rates. In addition, a Fund is subject to the risk that interest rates may exhibit increased volatility, which could cause the Fund’s NAV to fluctuate more. A decrease in fixed-income market maker capacity may act to decrease liquidity in the fixed-income markets and act to further increase volatility, affecting a Fund’s return. Changes or volatility in interest rates may adversely affect
the performance of a Fund. In general, the price of a debt security may fall when interest rates rise and may rise when interest rates fall. Securities with longer maturities can be more sensitive to interest rate changes. In other words, the longer the maturity of a security, the greater the impact a change in interest rates could have on the security’s price. In addition, short-term and long-term interest rates do not necessarily move in the same amount or the same direction. Short-term securities tend to react to changes in short-term interest rates, and long-term securities tend to react to changes in long-term interest rates. The impact of an interest rate change may be significant for other asset classes as well, whether because of the impact of interest rates on economic activity or because of changes in the relative attractiveness of asset classes due to changes in interest rates. For instance, higher interest rates may make investments in debt securities more attractive, thus reducing investments in equities.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk
Investment in, and/or exposure to, a significant portion of assets in securities rated below investment grade, otherwise known as “junk bonds” generally involves significantly greater risk of loss of your money than an investment in investment-grade bonds. Compared with issuers of investment-grade bonds, junk bonds are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and to be materially affected by these difficulties. Rising interest rates may compound these difficulties and reduce an issuer’s ability to repay principal and interest obligations. Issuers of lower-rated securities also have a greater risk of default or bankruptcy. High-yield securities may be less liquid than higher quality investments. A security whose credit rating has been lowered may be particularly difficult to sell.
Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk
A Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, uncollateralized bonds issued by agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities of foreign governments. Bonds issued by these foreign government agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities are generally only backed by the creditworthiness and reputation of the entities issuing the bonds and may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the foreign government. Moreover, a foreign government that explicitly provides its full faith and credit to a particular entity may be, due to changed circumstances, unable or unwilling to actually provide that support. If a non-U.S. agency is unable to meet its obligations, a Fund will be materially impacted. A non-U.S. agency’s operations and financial condition are influenced by the foreign government’s economic and other policies. Changes to the financial condition or the credit rating of a foreign government may cause the value of debt issued by that particular foreign government’s agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the trading of non-U.S. agency bonds may be less liquid and market prices may be more volatile than prices of U.S. agency bonds. Additional risks associated with non-U.S. agency investing include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, adverse changes in investment or change of control regulations, political instability, which could affect
25 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

U.S. investments in foreign countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital.
Prepayment Risk
Many types of debt securities, including mortgage securities, are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the security will repay principal prior to the maturity date. Securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. As a result, a Fund may have to reinvest its assets in mortgage securities or other debt securities that have lower yields.
Real Estate Sector Risk
Investment in securities issued by, and/or having exposure to, commercial and residential real estate companies are subject to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including changes in local and general economic conditions, vacancy rates, interest rates, zoning laws, rental income, property taxes, operating expenses and losses from casualty or condemnation. An investment in a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) is subject to additional risks, including poor performance by the manager of the REIT, adverse tax consequences, and limited diversification resulting from being invested in a limited number or type of properties or a narrow geographic area.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk
An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by, or guaranteed by, a foreign sovereign government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by, or guaranteed by, an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and a Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt obligation, including U.S. Treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect a Fund. Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which a Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, may have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk
A Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large-capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may
be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk
The securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies are subject to greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than the securities of more established, larger capitalization companies. Small- and/or mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by a Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of a Fund’s portfolio.
Foreign Securities Risk
Foreign instruments may involve greater risks than domestic instruments. As a result, a Fund’s returns and NAV may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, interest rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the United States, and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Foreign securities may involve additional risk, including, greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trade patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionists or retaliatory measures.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk
Because a Fund’s investments may be traded in markets that are closed when the Exchange is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 26

 

its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.
Adverse Market Conditions Risk
The performance of each Fund is designed to correlate to the inverse of the performance of an underlying index. As a consequence, a Fund’s performance will suffer during conditions which are adverse to its investment objective. For example, if the underlying index has risen on a given day, a Fund’s performance should fall. Conversely, if an underlying index has fallen on a given day, a Fund’s performance should rise.
Adviser’s Investment Strategy Risk
The Adviser utilizes a quantitative methodology to select investments for each Fund. Although this methodology is designed to correlate each Fund's daily performance with -100% of the daily performance of its underlying index, there is no assurance that such methodology will be successful and will enable a Fund to achieve its investment objective.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk
Using investment techniques that may be considered aggressive may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of futures contracts, options and swap agreements include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of a Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Commodity Pool Registration Risk
Under amended regulations promulgated by the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the Funds are considered commodity pools, and therefore each is subject to regulation under the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC rules. The Adviser is registered as a commodity pool operator and will manage the Funds in accordance with CFTC rules, as well as the rules that apply to registered investment companies, which includes registering the Funds as commodity pools. Registration as a commodity pool subjects the registrant to additional laws, regulations and enforcement policies, all of which may potentially increase compliance costs and may affect the operations and financial performance of the Funds.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk
An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, a Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk
Publicly-issued equity securities, including common stocks, are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which a Fund invests will cause the NAV of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk
Engaging in active and frequent trading leads to increased portfolio turnover, higher transaction costs, and the possibility of increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them) and/or long-term capital gains.
Investment Risk
An investment in a Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk
Some securities held by a Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities may also be difficult to value. If a Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, a Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent a Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with its underlying index, thus adversely affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk
A Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. A Fund typically would lose value on a day when its underlying index increases.
Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity may negatively affect issuers, which could have an adverse effect on each Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government, Federal Reserve, or other government actors, which could include increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and lead to higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on a Fund. A Fund’s NAV could decline over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.
Money Market Instrument Risk
A Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee
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that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk
A Fund invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A Fund’s NAV and total return may fluctuate more, or fall greater, in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund because the Fund may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. As a result, the gains or losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on a Fund’s NAV and may make a Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Regulatory Risk
Each Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way a Fund operates, increase the particular costs of a Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape. In particular, there is no guarantee that a Fund will be permitted to continue to engage in short sales, which are designed to earn a Fund a profit from the decline of the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index.
Additional legislative or regulatory changes could occur that may materially and adversely affect a Fund. For example, the regulatory environment for derivative instruments in which a Fund may invest is evolving, and changes in the regulation or taxation of derivative instruments may materially and adversely affect the ability of a Fund to pursue its trading strategies. Such legislative or regulatory changes could pose additional risks and result in material adverse consequences to a Fund.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. A Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. Only Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with a Fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade like closed-end fund shares at a discount to NAV and possibly face delisting from the Exchange.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of a Fund that are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at NAV. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of a Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at NAV. A Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with a Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the NAV vary
significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to a Fund’s NAV. A Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with a Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of a Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
A Precautionary Note to Retail Investors. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), a limited trust company and securities depositary that serves as a national clearinghouse for the settlement of trades for its participating banks and broker-dealers, or its nominee, will be the registered owner of all outstanding Shares of each fund of the Trust. Your ownership of Shares will be shown on the records of DTC and the DTC Participant broker through whom you hold the Shares. THE TRUST WILL NOT HAVE ANY RECORD OF YOUR OWNERSHIP. Your account information will be maintained by your broker, who will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales of Shares, and tax information. Your broker also will be responsible for ensuring that you receive shareholder reports and other communications from a Fund whose Shares you own. Typically, you will receive other services (e.g., average basis information) only if your broker offers these services.
A Precautionary Note to Purchasers of Creation Units. You should be aware of certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly from the issuing Fund. Because new Shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a “distribution” of Shares could be occurring at any time. As a dealer, certain activities on your part could, depending on the circumstances, result in your being deemed a participant in the distribution, in a manner that could render you a statutory underwriter and subject you to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”). For example, you could be deemed a statutory underwriter if you purchase Creation Units from an issuing Fund, break them down into the constituent Shares and sell those Shares directly to customers, or if you choose to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. Whether a person is an underwriter depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could cause you to be deemed an underwriter. Dealers who are not “underwriters,” but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions), and thus dealing with Shares as part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C)
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 28

 

of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act.
A Precautionary Note to Investment Companies. For purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”) each Fund is a registered investment company, and the acquisition of Shares by other investment companies is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) thereof.
The Trust and the Funds have obtained an exemptive order from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) allowing a registered investment company to invest in a Fund beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain conditions, including that a registered investment company
enters into a Participation Agreement with the Trust regarding the terms of the investment. Any investment company considering purchasing Shares of a Fund in amounts that would cause it to exceed the restrictions under Section 12(d)(1) should contact the Trust.
A Precautionary Note Regarding Unusual Circumstances. The Trust can postpone payment of redemption proceeds for any period during which (1) the Exchange is closed other than customary weekend and holiday closings, (2) trading on the Exchange is restricted, as determined by the SEC, (3) any emergency circumstances exist, as determined by the SEC, or (4) the SEC by order permits for the protection of shareholders of a Fund.
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About Your Investment
Share Price of the Funds
A fund’s share price is known as its NAV. Each Fund’s share price (other than the Fixed Income Fund) is calculated as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“Valuation Time”), each day the NYSE is open for business (“Business Day”). The NYSE is open for business Monday through Friday, except in observation of the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The NYSE may close early on the business day before each of these holidays and on the day after Thanksgiving Day. NYSE holiday schedules are subject to change without notice.
The Fixed Income Fund also calculates its NAV as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time each Business Day. However, on days that the bond markets close all day, which currently includes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day (a “Bond Market Holiday”), the Fixed Income Fund does not calculate its NAV, even if the NYSE is open for business. On such days, orders for purchase or redemption will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday. Similarly, on days that the bond markets close early but the NYSE does not (usually at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, and which currently include the Friday before Memorial Day and New Year’s Eve), the Fixed Income Fund treats the portion of the day that the bond markets are closed as a Bond Market Holiday and calculates its NAV as of the recommended closing time for the bond markets, which may be before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, subject to the discretion of the Adviser. In such instances, orders for purchase or redemption that are received prior to the close of the bond markets will receive the NAV calculated at the time of the bond markets closure, whereas orders for purchase or redemption that are received thereafter will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday.
If the exchange or market on which a Fund’s investments are primarily traded closes early, the NAV may be calculated prior to its normal calculation time. Creation/redemption transaction order time cutoffs would also be accelerated.
The value of a Fund’s assets that trade in markets outside the United States or in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar may fluctuate when foreign markets are open but the Fund is not open for business.
Share price is calculated by dividing a Fund’s net assets by its shares outstanding. In calculating its NAV, each Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. If such information is not available for a security held by a Fund, is determined to be unreliable, or (to the Adviser’s knowledge) does not reflect a significant event occurring after the close of the market on which the security principally trades (but before the close of trading on the NYSE), the security will be valued at fair value estimates by the Adviser under guidelines established by the Board of Trustees. Foreign securities, currencies and other assets denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. Dollars at the exchange rate of such currencies against the U.S. Dollar, as provided by an independent pricing service or reporting agency. Each Fund also relies on a pricing service in circumstances where the U.S. securities markets exceed a pre-determined threshold to value foreign securities held in a Fund’s portfolio. The pricing service, its methodology or the threshold may change from time to time. Debt obligations with maturities of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost.
Fair Value Pricing. Securities are priced at a fair value as determined by the Adviser, under the oversight of the Board of Trustees, when reliable market quotations are not readily available, the Funds' pricing service does not provide a valuation for such securities, the Funds' pricing service provides a valuation that in the judgment of the Adviser does not represent fair value, the Adviser believes that the market price is stale, or an event that affects the value of an instrument (a “Significant Event”) has occurred since closing prices were established, but before the time as of which a Fund calculates its NAV. Examples of Significant Events may include: (1) events that relate to a single issuer or to an entire market sector; (2) significant fluctuations in domestic or foreign markets; or (3) occurrences not tied directly to the securities markets, such as natural disasters, armed conflicts, or significant government actions. If such Significant Events occur, the Funds may value the instruments at fair value, taking into account such events when it calculates each Fund’s NAV. Fair value determinations are made in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. In addition, the Funds may also fair value an instrument if trading in a particular instrument is halted and does not resume prior to the closing of the exchange or other market.
Attempts to determine the fair value of securities introduce an element of subjectivity to the pricing of securities. As a result, the price of a security determined through fair valuation techniques may differ from the price quoted or published by other sources and may not accurately reflect the market value of the security when trading resumes. If a reliable market quotation becomes available for a security formerly valued through fair valuation techniques, Rafferty compares the market quotation to the fair value price to evaluate the effectiveness of the Funds' fair valuation procedures and will use that market value in the next calculation of NAV.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 30

 

Rule 12b-1 Fees
The Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services.
No 12b-1 fees are currently paid by a Fund, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of each Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
Short-Term Trading
Rafferty expects a significant portion of the Funds' assets to come from professional money managers and investors who use the Funds as part of “asset allocation” and “market timing” investment strategies. These strategies often call for frequent trading to take advantage of anticipated changes in market conditions. Frequent trading of Shares could increase the rate of creations and redemptions of Shares and a Fund’s portfolio turnover, which could involve correspondingly adverse tax consequences to a Fund’s shareholders. Although each Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase orders or suspend the offering of Shares, each Fund does not currently impose any trading restrictions on frequent trading nor actively monitor for trading abuses.
Creations, Redemptions and Transaction Fees
Creation Units. Investors such as market makers, large investors and institutions who wish to deal in Creation Units directly with a Fund must have entered into an authorized participant agreement with the principal underwriter and the transfer agent, or purchase through a dealer that has entered into such an agreement. These investors are known as “Authorized Participants.” Set forth below is a brief description of the procedures applicable to the purchase and redemption of Creation Units.
Purchase of a Fund. Each Fund only accepts cash to purchase Creation Units. The purchaser must transfer cash in an amount equal to the value of the Creation Unit(s) purchased and the applicable Transaction Fee. All purchase orders for Creation Units must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. Purchase orders will be processed either through a manual clearing process run at the DTC (“Manual Clearing Process”) or through an enhanced clearing process (“Enhanced Clearing Process”) that is available only to those DTC participants that also are participants in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). Authorized Participants that do not use the Enhanced Clearing Process will be charged a higher Transaction Fee (discussed below). A purchase order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent’s automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Participant Agreement in order to receive that day’s NAV per Share. The Trust will deliver Shares of a Fund upon payment of cash to the Trust on or before the third Business Day following the Transmittal Date consistent with the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement.
Redemption from a Fund. Redemption proceeds will be paid in cash. As with purchases, redemptions may be processed either through the Manual Clearing Process or the Enhanced Clearing Process. A redemption order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent’s automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Participant Agreement in order to receive that day’s NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day.
Transaction Fees on Creation and Redemption Transactions. Each Fund will impose Transaction Fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. There is a fixed and a variable component to the total Transaction Fee on transactions in Creation Units. A fixed Transaction Fee is applicable to each creation and redemption transaction, regardless of the number of Creation Units transacted. Purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units of a Fund effected through the Manual Clearing Process are required to pay an additional charge to compensate for brokerage and other expenses. In addition, purchasers of Creation Units are responsible for payment of the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Trust. A variable Transaction Fee based upon the value of each Creation Unit also is applicable to each purchase or redemption transaction. However, in no instance will the fees charged exceed 2% of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction. Redeemers of Creation Units are responsible for the costs of transferring securities from the Trust. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may pay additional fees for such services. In addition, Rafferty may, from time to time, at its own expense, compensate purchasers of Creation Units who have purchased substantial amounts of Creation Units and other financial institutions for administrative or marketing services.
The table below summarizes the components of the Transaction Fees.
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Direxion Shares ETF Trust Fixed Transaction Fee Maximum
Additional
Charge for
Purchases
and
Redemptions*
  In-Kind Cash
NSCC Outside NSCC Outside
NSCC
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
* As a percentage of the amount invested.
How to Buy and Sell Shares
Each Fund issues and redeems Shares only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.”
Most investors will buy and sell Shares of each Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of each Fund that are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. Although Shares are generally purchased and sold in “round lots” of 100 Shares, brokerage firms typically permit investors to purchase or sell Shares in smaller “oddlots” at no per-share price differential.
When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser may pay the intermediary for educational training programs, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other administrative services related to a Fund. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
The Funds’ Exchange trading symbols are as follows:
Fund Symbol
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares  
Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares  
Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share.
Investors may acquire Shares directly from each Fund, and shareholders may tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, only in Creation Units, as discussed in the “Creations, Redemptions and Transaction Fees” section above. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares.
For information about acquiring Shares through a secondary market purchase, please contact your broker. If you wish to sell Shares of a Fund on the secondary market, you must do so through your broker.
Book Entry. Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. DTC or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares of the Funds and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.
Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.
Management of the Funds
Rafferty provides investment management services to the Funds. Rafferty has been managing investment companies since 1997. Rafferty is located at 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019. As of March 31, 2017, the Adviser had approximately $12.5 billion in assets under management.
Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust and Rafferty, each Fund pays Rafferty at an annualized rate based on a percentage of each Fund's daily net assets of 0.35%.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 32

 

A discussion regarding the basis on which the Board of Trustees approved the investment advisory agreement for the Funds will be included in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report for the period ended April 30, 2017.
Rafferty has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with each Fund. Under this Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse each Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that a Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.45% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).
Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by a Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. Solely at Rafferty’s option and discretion, Rafferty may pay, reimburse or otherwise assume one or more of the excluded expenses, in which case such expense will be subject to reimbursement by Rafferty in accordance with the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Paul Brigandi and Tony Ng are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds. An investment trading team of Rafferty employees assists Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng in the day-to-day management of the Funds subject to their primary responsibility and oversight. The Portfolio Managers work with the investment trading team to decide the target allocation of each Fund’s investments and on a day-to-day basis, an individual portfolio trader executes transactions for the Funds consistent with the target allocation. The members of the investment trading team rotate periodically among the various series of the Trust, including the Funds, so that no single individual is assigned to a specific Fund for extended periods of time.
Mr. Brigandi has been a Portfolio Manager at Rafferty since June 2004. Mr. Brigandi was previously involved in the equity trading training program for Fleet Boston Financial Corporation from August 2002 to April 2004. Mr. Brigandi is a 2002 graduate of Fordham University.
Mr. Ng has been a Portfolio Manager at Rafferty since April 2006. Mr. Ng was previously a Team Leader in the Trading Assistant Group with Goldman Sachs from 2004 to 2006. He was employed with Deutsche Asset Management from 1998 to 2004. Mr. Ng graduated from State University at Buffalo in 1998.
The Funds' Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") provides additional information about the investment team members’ compensation, other accounts they manage and their ownership of securities in the Funds.
Portfolio Holdings
A description of the Funds' policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds' portfolio securities is available in the Funds' SAI.
other service providers
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Distributor”) serves as the Funds' distributor. U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC serves as the Funds' administrator. Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”) serves as the Funds' transfer agent, fund accountant, custodian and index receipt agent. The Distributor is not affiliated with Rafferty or BNYM.
Distributions
Fund Distributions. Each Fund pays out dividends from its net investment income, and distributes any net capital gains, if any, to its shareholders at least annually. Each Fund is authorized to declare and pay capital gain distributions in additional Shares or in cash. A Fund may have extremely high portfolio turnover, which may cause it to generate significant amounts of taxable income. Each Fund will generally need to distribute net short-term capital gain to satisfy certain tax requirements. As a result of the Funds' high portfolio turnover, they could need to make larger and/or more frequent distributions than traditional unleveraged ETFs.
Dividend Reinvestment Service. Brokers may make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service (“Reinvestment Service”) available to their customers who are shareholders of a Fund. If the Reinvestment Service is used with respect to a Fund, its distributions of both net income and capital gains will automatically be reinvested in additional and fractional Shares thereof purchased in the secondary market. Without the Reinvestment Service, investors will receive Fund distributions in cash, except as noted above under “Fund Distributions.” To determine whether the Reinvestment Service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using the service, consult your broker. Fund shareholders should be aware that brokers may require them to adhere to specific procedures and timetables to use the Reinvestment Service.
33 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

Taxes
As with any investment, you should consider the tax consequences of buying, holding, and disposing of Shares. The tax information in this Prospectus is only a general summary of some important federal tax considerations generally affecting a Fund and its shareholders. No attempt is made to present a complete explanation of the federal tax treatment of the Funds' activities, and this discussion is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Accordingly, potential investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers for more detailed information and for information regarding any state, local, or foreign taxes applicable to the Funds and to an investment in Shares.
Fund distributions to you and your sale of your Shares will have tax consequences to you unless you hold your Shares through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement arrangement, such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or 401(k) plan.
Each Fund intends to qualify each taxable year for taxation as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. If a Fund so qualifies and satisfies certain distribution requirements, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on income that is distributed in a timely manner to its shareholders in the form of income dividends or capital gain distributions.
Taxes on Distributions. Dividends from a Fund’s investment company taxable income generally, the sum of net investment income, the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions, if any, all determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid will be taxable to you as ordinary income to the extent of its earnings and profits, whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. However, dividends a Fund pays to you that are attributable to its “qualified dividend income” (i.e., dividends it receives on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations with respect to which it satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions) generally will be taxed to you, if you are an individual, trust, or estate and satisfy those restrictions with respect to your Shares, for federal income tax purposes, at the rates of 15% or 20% for such shareholders with taxable income exceeding certain thresholds (which will be indexed for inflation annually). A portion of a Fund’s dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations the eligible portion may not exceed the aggregate dividends the Fund receives from domestic corporations subject to federal income tax (excluding real estate investment trusts) and excludes dividends from foreign corporations subject to similar restrictions; however, dividends a corporate shareholder deducts pursuant to that deduction are subject indirectly to the federal alternative minimum tax. No Fund expects to earn a significant amount of income that would qualify for those maximum rates or that deduction.
Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) that it recognizes on sales or exchanges of capital assets (“capital gain distributions”), if any, will be taxable to you as long-term capital gains, at the maximum rates mentioned above if you are an individual, trust, or estate, regardless of your holding period for the Shares on which the distributions are paid and regardless of whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. A Fund’s capital gain distributions may vary considerably from one year to the next as a result of its investment activities and cash flows and the performance of the markets in which it invests. No Fund expects to earn a significant amount of net capital gain.
Distributions in excess of a Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, if any, first will reduce your adjusted tax basis in your Shares in the Fund and, after that basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain. That capital gain will be long-term capital gain, and thus will be taxed at the maximum rates mentioned above if you are an individual, trust, or estate if the distributions are attributable to Shares you held for more than one year.
Investors should be aware that the price of Shares at any time may reflect the amount of a forthcoming dividend or capital gain distribution, so if they purchase Shares shortly before the record date therefor, they will pay full price for the Shares and receive some part of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution even though it represents a partial return of invested capital.
In general, distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year when they are paid. However, certain distributions paid in January may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.
Because of the possibility of high portfolio turnover, the Funds may generate significant amounts of taxable income. Accordingly, the Funds may need to make larger and/or more frequent distributions than traditional unleveraged ETFs. A substantial portion of that income typically will be short-term capital gain, which will generally be treated as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders.
Fund distributions to tax-deferred or qualified plans, such as an IRA, retirement plan or pension plan, generally will not be taxable. However, distributions from such plans will be taxable to the individual participant notwithstanding the character of the income earned by the qualified plan. Please consult a tax adviser for a more complete explanation of the federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in a Fund through such a plan.
Taxes When Shares are Sold. Generally, you will recognize taxable gain or loss if you sell or otherwise dispose of your Shares. Any gain arising from such a disposition generally will be treated as long-term capital gain if you held the Shares for more than one year, taxable at the maximum rates (15% or 20%) mentioned above if you are an individual, trust, or estate; otherwise, the gain will be treated as short-term capital gain. However, any capital loss arising from the disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of capital gain distributions, if any, received with respect to those Shares. In addition, all or a portion of any loss recognized on a sale or exchange of Shares of a Fund will be disallowed to the extent other Shares of the same Fund are purchased (whether through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of the sale or exchange; in that event, the basis in the newly purchased Shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 34

 

Holders of Creation Units. A person who purchases Shares of a Fund by exchanging securities for a Creation Unit generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Unit and the person’s aggregate basis in the exchanged securities, adjusted for any Balancing Amount paid or received. A shareholder who redeems a Creation Unit generally will recognize gain or loss to the same extent and in the same manner as described in the immediately preceding paragraph.
Miscellaneous. Backup Withholding. A Fund must withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury 28% of dividends and capital gain distributions otherwise payable to any individual or certain other non-corporate shareholder who fails to certify that the social security or other taxpayer identification number furnished to the Fund is correct or who furnishes an incorrect number (together with the withholding described in the next sentence, “backup withholding”). Withholding at that rate also is required from a Fund’s dividends and capital gain distributions otherwise payable to such a shareholder who is subject to backup withholding for any other reason. Backup withholding is not an additional tax, and any amounts so withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s federal income tax liability or refunded.
Additional Tax. An individual must pay a 3.8% federal tax on the lesser of (1) the individual’s “net investment income,” which generally includes dividends, interest, and net gains from the disposition of investment property (including dividends and capital gain distributions a Fund pays and net gains realized on the sale or redemption of Shares), or (2) the excess of the individual’s “modified adjusted gross income” over a threshold amount ($250,000 for married persons filing jointly and $200,000 for single taxpayers). This tax is in addition to any other taxes due on that income. A similar tax will apply for those years to estates and trusts. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers regarding the effect, if any, this provision may have on their investment in Fund shares.
Basis Determination. A shareholder who wants to use the average basis method for determining basis in Shares he or she acquires after December 31, 2011 (“Covered Shares”), must elect to do so in writing (which may be electronic) with the broker through which he or she purchased the Shares. A shareholder who wishes to use a different IRS-acceptable method for basis determination (e.g., a specific identification method) may elect to do so. Fund shareholders are urged to consult with their brokers regarding the application of the basis determination rules to them.
You may also be subject to state and local taxes on Fund distributions and dispositions of Shares.
Non-U.S. Shareholders. “A “non-U.S. shareholder” is an investor that, for federal tax purposes, is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign corporation or a foreign estate or trust. Except where discussed otherwise, the following disclosure assumes that a non-U.S. shareholder’s ownership of Shares is not effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. shareholder in the United States and does not address non-U.S. shareholders who are present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may be different from those described herein. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in a Fund.
Withholding. Dividends paid by a Fund to non-U.S. shareholders will be subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income (other than “qualified interest income” or “qualified short-term capital gains,” as described below). In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN (or substitute form) certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder who provides an IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation’s earnings and profits attributable to such dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate).
A non-U.S. shareholder who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate. See the discussion of backup withholding under “Miscellaneous” above.
Exemptions from Withholding. In general, federal income tax will not apply to gain realized on the sale or other disposition of Shares or to any Fund distributions reported as capital gain dividends, short-term capital gain dividends, or interest-related dividends.
“ Short-term capital gain dividends” are dividends that are attributable to “qualified short-term gain” a Fund realizes (generally, the excess of a Fund’s net short-term capital gain over long-term capital loss for a taxable year, computed with certain adjustments). “Interest-related dividends” are dividends that are attributable to “qualified net interest income” from U.S. sources. Depending on its circumstances, a Fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as short-term capital gain dividends and interest-related dividends and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. To qualify for the exemption, a non-U.S. shareholder will need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or substitute form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if a Fund designates the payment as a short-term capital gain dividend or an interest-related dividend. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). Under FATCA, “foreign financial institutions” (“FFIs”) or “non-financial foreign entities” (“NFFEs”) that are Fund shareholders may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on (1) income dividends, and (2) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds of a redemption of Shares a Fund pays after December 31, 2018. As discussed more fully in the Funds' SAI under “Taxes,” the FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided (a) by an FFI, if it reports certain information regarding direct and indirect ownership of financial accounts U.S. persons hold with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it certifies as such and, in certain circumstances, that (i) it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) it does have such owners and reports information relating to them to the withholding agent. The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (“IGAs”) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA; entities in those countries may be required to comply with the terms of the IGA instead of Treasury regulations. Non-U.S. shareholders
35 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

should consult their own tax advisers regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation and the impact thereof on their investment in a Fund.
More information about taxes is in the Funds' SAI.
Additional Information
The Trust enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, which may include, among others, the Funds' investment adviser, custodian, and transfer agent, who provide services to the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to any such contractual arrangements and are not intended beneficiaries of those contractual arrangements, and those contractual arrangements are not intended to create in any shareholder any right to enforce them against the service providers or to seek any remedy under them against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the Trust.
This Prospectus provides information concerning the Funds that you should consider in determining whether to purchase Fund shares. Neither this Prospectus nor the SAI is intended, or should be read, to be or give rise to an agreement or contract between the Trust or the Funds and any investor, or to give rise to any rights in any shareholder or other person other than any rights under federal or state law that may not be waived.
Index Licensors
J.P. Morgan Index. The Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares (the “Financial Product”) is not in any way sponsored, sold or promoted by JPMorgan Chase & Co and/or any of its affiliates (collectively “J.P. Morgan”). J.P. Morgan is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, any aspect of the structuring of any attribute of the Financial Product, the determination of the timing of the offering of the Financial Product, the pricing of the Financial Product, or in the manner of operation of the Financial Product. J.P. Morgan has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Financial Product. All information provided herein regarding the J.P. Morgan Indexes (the “Indices”), including without limitation, the levels of the Indices, is provided for informational purposes only. J.P. Morgan does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the Indices and/or the completeness or accuracy or any other information furnished in connection with the Indices. The Indices are the exclusive property of J.P. Morgan and J.P. Morgan retains all property rights therein. Nothing herein constitutes, or forms part of, an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument, including of the Financial Product, or as an official confirmation of any transaction, or a valuation or price for the Indices or the Financial Product. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as a J.P. Morgan recommendation to adopt any investment strategy or as legal, tax of accounting advice. J.P. Morgan makes no express or implied representations or warranties with respect to the Indices and/or the Financial Product, including but not limited to regarding the advisability of investing in securities or financial products generally and/or the Financial Products specifically, or the advisability of any of the Indices to track investment opportunities in the financial markets or otherwise achieve their objective. J.P. Morgan hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Indices and the Financial Product. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall J.P. Morgan have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) to any person, including but not limited to, for any statements contained in any offering document or any other materials used to describe the Indices and/or the Financial Product, any error in the pricing or otherwise, of the Indices and/or the Financial Product and J.P. Morgan shall not be under any obligation to advise any person of any error therein.
MSCI Index. The underlying index for the Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares is the MSCI US REIT Index. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc. (“MSCI”), any of its affiliates, any of its information providers or any other third party involved in, or related to, compiling, computing or creating any MSCI Index (collectively, the “MSCI Parties”). The MSCI Index is the exclusive property of MSCI. MSCI and the MSCI Index names are service marks of MSCI or its affiliates and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by the Trust. None of the MSCI Parties makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the issuer or shareholders of the Fund or any other person or entity regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of any MSCI Index to track corresponding stock market performance. MSCI or its affiliates are the licensors of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names and of the MSCI Index which are determined, composed and calculated by MSCI without regard to the Fund or the issuer or shareholders of the Fund or any other person or entity into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the MSCI Index. None of the MSCI Parties are responsible for, or has participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by or the consideration into which the Fund is/are redeemable. Further, none of the MSCI Parties has any obligation or liability to the issuer or owners of the Fund or any other person or entity in connection with the administration, marketing or offering of the Fund.
Although MSCI shall obtain information for inclusion in or for use in the calculation of the MSCI Index from sources that MSCI considers reliable, none of the MSCI Parties warrants or guarantees the originality, accuracy and/or the completeness
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 36

 

of any MSCI Index or any data included therein. None of the MSCI Parties makes any warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the issuer of the Fund, shareholders of the Fund, or any other person or entity, from the use of any MSCI Index or any data included therein. None of the MSCI Parties shall have any liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions of, or in connection with, any MSCI Index or any data included therein. Further, none of the MSCI Parties makes any express or implied warranties of any kind, and the MSCI Parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the MSCI Index and any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any of the MSCI Parties have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages. No purchaser, seller or holder of this security, product or fund, or any other person or entity, should use or refer to any MSCI trade name, trademark or service mark to sponsor, endorse, market or promote this security without first contacting MSCI to determine whether MSCI’s permission is required. Under no circumstances may any person or entity claim any affiliation with MSCI without the prior written permission of MSCI.
Financial Highlights
No financial information is available for the Funds because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus.
37 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

Prospectus
1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor New York, New York 10019 866-476-7523
More Information on the Direxion Shares Etf Trust
Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”):
The Funds' SAI contains more information on each Fund and its investment policies. The SAI is incorporated in this Prospectus by reference (meaning it is legally part of this Prospectus). A current SAI is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders:
The Funds' reports will provide additional information on the Funds' investment holdings, performance data and a letter discussing the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Funds' performance during that period.
To Obtain the SAI or Fund Reports Free of Charge:
Write to: Direxion Shares ETF Trust
  1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor
New York, New York 10019
Call: 866-476-7523
By Internet: www.direxioninvestments.com
These documents and other information about the Funds can be reviewed and copied at the SEC Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Reports and other information about the Funds may be viewed on screen or downloaded from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of these documents may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.
SEC File Number: 811-22201


Direxion Shares ETF Trust
Statement of Additional Information
1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor New York, New York 10019 866-476-7523
www.direxioninvestments.com
The Direxion Shares ETF Trust (“Trust”) is an investment company that offers shares of a variety of exchange-traded funds to the public. The shares of the funds offered in this Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), upon commencement of operations, will be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. This SAI relates to the funds listed below (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”).
1X BEAR FUNDS
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares
The Funds seek daily inverse investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. Each Fund attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the inverse (or opposite) of the performance of its underlying index.
The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Investors should note that:
(1) Each Fund pursues a daily investment objective that is inverse to the performance of its underlying index, a result opposite of most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.
(2) The Funds seek daily inverse investment results that are subject to compounding and market volatility risk. The pursuit of their daily investment objective means that the return of a Fund for a period longer than a full trading day will be the product of a series of daily returns, with daily repositioned exposure, for each trading day during the relevant period. As a consequence, especially in periods of market volatility, the volatility of the underlying index may affect a Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily inverse investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. During periods of high volatility, the Funds may not perform as expected and the Funds may have losses when an investor may have expected gains if the Funds are held for a period that is different than one trading day.
The Funds are not suitable for all investors. The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Investors in the Funds should:
(a) understand the consequences of seeking daily inverse investment results;
(b) understand the risk of shorting; and
(c) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments.
Investors who do not understand the Funds, or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments, should not buy the Funds.
There is no assurance that any Fund will achieve its daily inverse investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
This SAI, dated April 26, 2017, is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Funds' prospectus dated April 26, 2017 (“Prospectus”). This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Prospectus. In other words, it is legally part of the Prospectus. To receive a copy of the Prospectus, without charge, write or call the Trust at the address or telephone number listed above.
April 26, 2017

 

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The Direxion Shares ETF Trust
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized on April 23, 2008 and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”). The Trust currently consists of 142 separate series or “Funds.”
The Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares is referred to as the "Fixed Income Fund."
Each Fund seeks to provide daily investment results, before fees and expenses, which correspond to the inverse of the performance of an underlying index. The correlation sought by each Fund is the inverse (-100%) of the returns of a corresponding underlying index. For example, the investment objective for the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares is 100% of the inverse, or opposite, of the daily performance of the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index. If, on a given day, the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index gains 1%, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares is designed to lose approximately 1% (which is equal to -100% times 1%). Conversely, if the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index loses 1% on a given day, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares is designed to gain approximately 1%.
Shares of each Fund (“Shares”) are issued and redeemed only in large blocks called “Creation Units.” Most investors will buy and sell Shares of each Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. Although Shares are generally purchased and sold in “round lots” of 100 Shares, brokerage firms typically permit investors to purchase or sell Shares in smaller “odd lots,” at no per-share price differential. Investors may acquire Shares directly from each Fund, and shareholders may tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, only in Creation Units of 50,000 Shares, as discussed in the “Purchases and Redemptions” section below.
The Shares offered in this SAI, upon commencement of operations, will be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”).
The Funds seek daily inverse investment results and are subject to compounding and market volatility risks. The Funds are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. As such, the Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.
(1) Each Fund pursues a daily investment objective that is inverse to the performance of its underlying index, a result opposite of most mutual and exchange-traded funds.
(2) The pursuit of these daily inverse investment objectives means that the return of a Fund for a period longer than a full trading day will be the product of the series of daily returns, with daily repositioned exposure, for each trading day during the relevant period. As a consequence, especially in periods of market volatility, the volatility of the underlying index may affect a Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day or for a period different than a trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily inverse investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. During periods of high volatility, the Funds may not perform as expected and the Funds may have losses when an investor may have expected gains if the Funds are held for a period that is different than one trading day.
The Funds are not suitable for all investors. The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Investors in the Funds should:
(a) understand the consequences of seeking daily inverse investment results;
(b) understand the risk of shorting; and
(c) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments.
Investors who do not understand the Funds, or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments, should not buy the Funds. There is no assurance that any of the Funds offered in this SAI will achieve their objectives and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
Classification of the Funds
Each Fund is a “non-diversified” series of the Trust pursuant to the 1940 Act. A Fund is considered “non-diversified” because a relatively high percentage of its assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of issuers. To the extent that a Fund assumes large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers, the Fund’s net asset value ("NAV") may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a diversified company as a result of changes in the financial condition or in the market’s assessment of the issuers, and the Fund may be more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified company.
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Exchange Listing and Trading
The Shares, upon commencement of operations, will be listed and traded on the Exchange and may trade at prices that differ to some degree from their NAV. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares of each Fund will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the Shares of a Fund from listing if (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of a Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the Shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the value of the underlying index is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of such Fund.
As is the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of the Shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of a Fund.
The trading prices of each Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from each Fund’s daily NAV per share and are affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC ("Rafferty" or "Adviser") may, from time to time, make payments to certain market makers in the Trust’s shares. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of each Fund, also known as the “intraday indicative value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which a Fund is listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund as a particular point in time, nor the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Funds. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the U.S. Each Fund is not involved in, nor responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representations or warranty as to its accuracy.
Investment Policies and Techniques
Each Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the inverse (-100%) of the performance of an underlying index, before fees and expenses, as follows:
Fund Underlying Index
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bear 1X Shares J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index
Direxion Daily MSCI Real Estate Bear 1X Shares MSCI US REIT Index
With the exception of limitations described in the “Investment Restrictions” section, each Fund may engage in the investment strategies discussed below. There is no assurance that any of these strategies or any other strategies and methods of investment available to a Fund will result in the achievement of the Fund’s investment objective.
This section provides a description of the securities in which a Fund may invest to achieve its investment objective, the strategies it may employ and the corresponding risks of such securities and strategies. The greatest risk of investing in an exchange-traded fund ("ETF") is that its returns will fluctuate and you could lose money.
Asset-Backed Securities
A Fund may invest in asset-backed securities of any rating or maturity. Asset-backed securities are securities issued by trusts and special purpose entities that are backed by pools of assets, such as automobile and credit-card receivables and home equity loans, which pass through the payments on the underlying obligations to the security holders (less servicing fees paid to the originator or fees for any credit enhancement). Typically, the originator of the loan or accounts receivable paper transfers it to a specially created trust, which repackages it as securities with a minimum denomination and a specific term. The securities are then privately placed or publicly offered. Examples include certificates for automobile receivables and so-called plastic bonds, backed by credit card receivables.
The value of an asset-backed security is affected by, among other things, changes in the market’s perception of the asset backing the security, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the loan pool, the originator of the loans and the financial institution providing any credit enhancement. Payments of principal and interest passed through to holders of asset-backed securities are frequently supported by some form of credit enhancement, such as a letter of credit, surety
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bond, limited guarantee by another entity or by having a priority to certain of the borrower’s other assets. The degree of credit enhancement varies, and generally applies to only a portion of the asset-backed security’s par value. Value is also affected if any credit enhancement has been exhausted.
Bank Obligations
Money Market Instruments. A Fund may invest in bankers’ acceptances, certificates of deposit, demand and time deposits, savings shares and commercial paper of domestic banks and savings and loans that have assets of at least $1 billion and capital, surplus, and undivided profits of over $100 million as of the close of their most recent fiscal year, or instruments that are insured by the Bank Insurance Fund or the Savings Institution Insurance Fund of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). A Fund also may invest in high quality, short-term, corporate debt obligations, including variable rate demand notes, having terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days. Because there is no secondary trading market in demand notes, the inability of the issuer to make required payments could impact adversely a Fund’s ability to resell when it deems advisable to do so.
A Fund may invest in foreign money market instruments, which typically involve more risk than investing in U.S. money market instruments. See “Foreign Securities” below. These risks include, among others, higher brokerage commissions, less public information, and less liquid markets in which to sell and meet large shareholder redemption requests.
Bankers’ Acceptances. Bankers’ acceptances generally are negotiable instruments (time drafts) drawn to finance the export, import, domestic shipment or storage of goods. They are termed “accepted” when a bank writes on the draft its agreement to pay it at maturity, using the word “accepted.” The bank is, in effect, unconditionally guaranteeing to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date. The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an asset, or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of interest for a specified maturity.
Certificates of Deposit (“CDs”). The FDIC is an agency of the U.S. government that insures the deposits of certain banks and savings and loan associations up to $250,000 per deposit. The interest on such deposits may not be insured to the extent this limit is exceeded. Current federal regulations also permit such institutions to issue insured negotiable CDs in amounts of $250,000 or more without regard to the interest rate ceilings on other deposits. To remain fully insured, these investments must be limited to $250,000 per insured bank or savings and loan association.
Commercial Paper. Commercial paper includes notes, drafts or similar instruments payable on demand or having a maturity at the time of issuance not exceeding nine months, exclusive of days of grace or any renewal thereof. A Fund may invest in commercial paper rated A-l or A-2 by Standard & Poor’s® Ratings Services (“S&P®”) or Prime-1 or Prime-2 by Moody’s Investors Service®, Inc. (“Moody’s”), and in other lower quality commercial paper.
Caps, Floors and Collars
A Fund may enter into caps, floors and collars relating to securities, interest rates or currencies. In a cap or floor, the buyer pays a premium (which is generally, but not always, a single up-front amount) for the right to receive payments from the other party if, on specified payment dates, the applicable rate, index or asset is greater than (in the case of a cap) or less than (in the case of a floor) an agreed level, for the period involved and the applicable notional amount. A collar is a combination instrument in which the same party buys a cap and sells a floor. Depending upon the terms of the cap and floor comprising the collar, the premiums will partially, or entirely, offset each other. The notional amount of a cap, collar or floor is used to calculate payments, but is not itself exchanged. A Fund may be both a buyer and seller of these instruments. In addition, a Fund may engage in combinations of put and call options on securities (also commonly known as collars), which may involve physical delivery of securities. Like swaps, caps, floors and collars are very flexible products. The terms of the transactions entered by the Funds may vary from the typical examples described here.
Corporate Debt Securities
A Fund may invest in investment grade corporate debt securities of any rating or maturity. Investment grade corporate bonds are those rated BBB or better by S&P® or Baa or better by Moody’s. Securities rated BBB by S&P® are considered investment grade, but Moody’s considers securities rated Baa to have speculative characteristics. See Appendix A for a description of corporate bond ratings. A Fund may also invest in unrated securities.
Corporate debt securities are fixed-income securities issued by businesses to finance their operations, although corporate debt instruments may also include bank loans to companies. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities, with the primary difference being their maturities and secured or un-secured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and is usually unsecured.
The broad category of corporate debt securities includes debt issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt may be rated investment-grade or below investment-grade and may carry variable or floating rates of interest.
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Because of the wide range of types and maturities of corporate debt securities, as well as the range of creditworthiness of its issuers, corporate debt securities have widely varying potentials for return and risk profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated investment grade may have a modest return on principal, but carries relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal, but carries a relatively high degree of risk.
Corporate debt securities carry both credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk that a Fund could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it is due. Some corporate debt securities that are rated below investment grade are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher-quality debt securities. The credit risk of a particular issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (senior) debt securities have a higher priority than lower ranking (subordinated) securities. This means that the issuer might not make payments on subordinated securities while continuing to make payments on senior securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of higher-ranking senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of more junior securities. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than corporate debt securities with shorter terms.
Cybersecurity Risk
Since the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds may be more susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cybersecurity. A cybersecurity incident may refer to either intentional or unintentional events that allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause a Fund or a Fund service provider to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. A cybersecurity incident could, among other things, result in the loss or theft of customer data or funds, customers or employees being unable to access electronic systems (“denial of services”), loss or theft of proprietary information or corporate data, physical damage to a computer or network system, or remediation costs associated with system repairs. Any of these results could have a substantial impact on the Funds. For example, if a cybersecurity incident results in a denial of service, Fund shareholders could lose access to their electronic accounts for an unknown period of time, and employees could be unable to access electronic systems to perform critical duties for the Funds, such as trading, NAV calculation, shareholder accounting or fulfillment of Fund share purchases and redemptions. Cybersecurity incidents could cause a Fund or the Funds' Adviser or distributor to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, or financial loss of a significant magnitude. They may also cause a Fund to violate applicable privacy and other laws. The Funds' service providers have established risk management systems that seek to reduce the risks associated with cybersecurity, and business continuity plans in the event there is a cybersecurity breach. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially since a Fund does not directly control the cybersecurity systems of the issuers of securities in which each Fund invests or the Funds' third party service providers (including the Funds' transfer agent and custodian).
Depositary Receipts
To the extent a Fund invests in stocks of foreign corporations, a Fund’s investment in such stocks may also be in the form of depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. Depositary receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are receipts typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) are receipts issued in Europe that evidence a similar ownership arrangement. Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) are receipts issued throughout the world that evidence a similar arrangement. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities.
Depositary receipts may be purchased through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and a depositary, whereas a depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the depositary security. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of such facilities and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts of the deposited securities.
Fund investments in depositary receipts, which include ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, are deemed to be investments in foreign securities for purposes of a Fund’s investment strategy.
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Equity Securities
Common Stocks. A Fund may invest in common stocks. Common stocks represent the residual ownership interest in the issuer and are entitled to the income and increase in the value of the assets and business of the entity after all of its obligations and preferred stock are satisfied. Common stocks generally have voting rights. Common stocks fluctuate in price in response to many factors including historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the value of its assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity.
Convertible Securities. A Fund may invest in convertible securities that may be considered high yield securities. Convertible securities include corporate bonds, notes and preferred stock that can be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock of the same or a different issue within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or dividends paid on preferred stock until the convertible stock matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. While no securities investment is without some risk, investments in convertible securities generally entail less risk than the issuer’s common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security. The market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. While convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than nonconvertible debt securities of similar quality, they do enable the investor to benefit from increases in the market price of the underlying common stock. When investing in convertible securities, a Fund may invest in the lowest credit rating category.
Preferred Stock. A Fund may invest in preferred stock. A preferred stock blends the characteristics of a bond and common stock. It can offer the higher yield of a bond and has priority over common stock in equity ownership, but does not have the seniority of a bond and its participation in the issuer’s growth may be limited. Preferred stock has preference over common stock in the receipt of dividends and in any residual assets after payment to creditors if the issuer is dissolved. Although the dividend is set at a fixed annual rate, in some circumstances it can be changed or omitted by the issuer. When investing in preferred stocks, a Fund may invest in the lowest credit rating category.
Warrants and Rights. A Fund may purchase warrants and rights, which are instruments that permit a Fund to acquire, by subscription, the capital stock of a corporation at a set price, regardless of the market price for such stock. Warrants may be either perpetual or of limited duration, but they usually do not have voting rights or pay dividends. The market price of warrants is usually significantly less than the current price of the underlying stock. Thus, there is a greater risk that warrants might drop in value at a faster rate than the underlying stock.
Foreign Currencies
A Fund may invest directly and indirectly in foreign currencies. Investments in foreign currencies are subject to numerous risks not least being the fluctuation of foreign currency exchange rates with respect to the U.S. Dollar. Exchange rates fluctuate for a number of reasons.
Inflation. Exchange rates change to reflect changes in a currency’s buying power. Different countries experience different inflation rates due to different monetary and fiscal policies, different product and labor market conditions, and a host of other factors.
Trade Deficits. Countries with trade deficits tend to experience a depreciating currency. Inflation may be the cause of a trade deficit, making a country’s goods more expensive and less competitive and so reducing demand for its currency.
Interest Rates. High interest rates may raise currency values in the short term by making such currencies more attractive to investors. However, since high interest rates are often the result of high inflation, long-term results may be the opposite.
Budget Deficits and Low Savings Rates. Countries that run large budget deficits and save little of their national income tend to suffer a depreciating currency because they are forced to borrow abroad to finance their deficits. Payments of interest on this debt can inundate the currency markets with the currency of the debtor nation. Budget deficits also can indirectly contribute to currency depreciation if a government chooses inflationary measures to cope with its deficits and debt.
Political Factors. Political instability in a country can cause a currency to depreciate. Demand for a certain currency may fall if a country appears a less desirable place in which to invest and do business.
Government Control. Through their own buying and selling of currencies, the world’s central banks sometimes manipulate exchange rate movements. In addition, governments occasionally issue statements to influence people’s expectations about the direction of exchange rates, or they may instigate policies with an exchange rate target as the goal.
The value of a Fund’s investments is calculated in U.S. Dollars each day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund’s assets are invested in instruments denominated in foreign currencies
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and the currencies appreciate relative to the U.S. Dollar, a Fund’s NAV per share as expressed in U.S. Dollars (and, therefore, the value of your investment) should increase. If the U.S. Dollar appreciates relative to the other currencies, the opposite should occur.
The currency-related gains and losses experienced by a Fund will be based on changes in the value of portfolio securities attributable to currency fluctuations only in relation to the original purchase price of such securities as stated in U.S. Dollars. Gains or losses on shares of a Fund will be based on changes attributable to fluctuations in the NAV of such shares, expressed in U.S. Dollars, in relation to the original U.S. Dollar purchase price of the shares. The amount of appreciation or depreciation in a Fund’s assets also will be affected by the net investment income generated by the money market instruments in which each Fund invests and by changes in the value of the securities that are unrelated to changes in currency exchange rates.
A Fund may incur currency exchange costs when it sells instruments denominated in one currency and buys instruments denominated in another.
Currency Transactions. A Fund conducts currency exchange transactions on a spot basis. Currency transactions made on a spot basis are for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currency. A Fund also enters into forward currency contracts. See “Options, Futures and Other Derivative Strategies” below. A forward currency contract is an obligation to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are entered into on the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers.
A Fund may invest in a combination of forward currency contracts and U.S. Dollar-denominated market instruments in an attempt to obtain an investment result that is substantially the same as a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated instrument. This investment technique creates a “synthetic” position in the particular foreign-currency instrument whose performance the Adviser is trying to duplicate. For example, the combination of U.S. Dollar-denominated instruments with “long” forward currency exchange contracts creates a position economically equivalent to a money market instrument denominated in the foreign currency itself. Such combined positions are sometimes necessary when the money market in a particular foreign currency is small or relatively illiquid.
A Fund may invest in forward currency contracts to hedge either specific transactions (transaction hedging) or portfolio positions (position hedging). Transaction hedging is the purchase or sale of forward currency contracts with respect to specific receivables or payables of a Fund in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. Position hedging is the sale of a forward currency contract on a particular currency with respect to portfolio positions denominated or quoted in that currency.
A Fund may use forward currency contracts for position hedging if consistent with its policy of trying to expose its net assets to foreign currencies. A Fund is not required to enter into forward currency contracts for hedging purposes and it is possible that a Fund may not be able to hedge against a currency devaluation that is so generally anticipated that a Fund is unable to contract to sell the currency at a price above the devaluation level it anticipates. It also is possible, under certain circumstances, that a Fund may have to limit its currency transactions to qualify as a “regulated investment company” (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of Chapter 1 of Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). See “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes.”
Each Fund currently does not intend to enter into a forward currency contract with a term of more than one year, or to engage in position hedging with respect to the currency of a particular country to more than the aggregate market value (at the time the hedging transaction is entered into) of its portfolio securities denominated in (or quoted in or currently convertible into or directly related through the use of forward currency contracts in conjunction with money market instruments to) that particular currency.
At or before the maturity of a forward currency contract, a Fund may either sell a portfolio security and make delivery of the currency, or retain the security and terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the currency by buying an “offsetting” contract obligating it to buy, on the same maturity date, the same amount of the currency. If a Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, it may later enter into a new forward currency contract to sell the currency.
If a Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, it will incur a gain or loss to the extent that there has been movement in forward currency contract prices. If forward prices go down during the period between the date a Fund enters into a forward currency contract for the sale of a currency and the date it enters into an offsetting contract for the purchase of the currency, a Fund will realize a gain to the extent that the price of the currency it has agreed to sell exceeds the price of the currency it has agreed to buy. If forward prices go up, a Fund will suffer a loss to the extent the price of the currency it has agreed to buy exceeds the price of the currency it has agreed to sell.
Since a Fund invests in money market instruments denominated in foreign currencies, it may hold foreign currencies pending investment or conversion into U.S. Dollars. Although a Fund values its assets daily in U.S. Dollars, it does not convert its holdings of foreign currencies into U.S. Dollars on a daily basis. A Fund will convert its holdings from time to time, however, and incur the costs of currency conversion. Foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, but they do realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they buy and sell various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer
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to sell a foreign currency to a Fund at one rate, and offer to buy the currency at a lower rate if a Fund tries to resell the currency to the dealer.
Foreign Currency Options. A Fund may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities and may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies. A Fund may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies either on exchanges or in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market. A put option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a foreign currency at the exercise price until the option expires. A call option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to purchase the currency at the exercise price until the option expires. Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits which may limit the ability of a Fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options. OTC options differ from traded options in that they are two-party contracts with price and other terms negotiated between buyer and seller, and generally do not have as much market liquidity as exchange-traded options.
Foreign Currency Exchange-Related Securities
Foreign Currency Warrants. Foreign currency warrants such as Currency Exchange WarrantsSM (“CEWsSM”) are warrants which entitle the holder to receive from their issuer an amount of cash (generally, for warrants issued in the United States, in U.S. Dollars) which is calculated pursuant to a predetermined formula and based on the exchange rate between a specified foreign currency and the U.S. Dollar as of the exercise date of the warrant. Foreign currency warrants generally are exercisable upon their issuance and expire as of a specified date and time. Foreign currency warrants have been issued in connection with U.S. Dollar-denominated debt offerings by major corporate issuers in an attempt to reduce the foreign currency exchange risk which, from the point of view of prospective purchasers of the securities, is inherent in the international fixed-income marketplace. Foreign currency warrants may attempt to reduce the foreign exchange risk assumed by purchasers of a security by, for example, providing for a supplemental payment in the event that the U.S. Dollar depreciates against the value of a major foreign currency such as the Japanese yen or the Euro. The formula used to determine the amount payable upon exercise of a foreign currency warrant may make the warrant worthless unless the applicable foreign currency exchange rate moves in a particular direction (e.g., unless the U.S. Dollar appreciates or depreciates against the particular foreign currency to which the warrant is linked or indexed). Foreign currency warrants are severable from the debt obligations with which they may be offered, and may be listed on exchanges. Foreign currency warrants may be exercisable only in certain minimum amounts, and an investor wishing to exercise warrants who possesses less than the minimum number required for exercise may be required either to sell the warrants or to purchase additional warrants, thereby incurring additional transaction costs. In the case of any exercise of warrants, there may be a time delay between the time a holder of warrants gives instructions to exercise and the time the exchange rate relating to exercise is determined, during which time the exchange rate could change significantly, thereby affecting both the market and cash settlement values of the warrants being exercised. The expiration date of the warrants may be accelerated if the warrants should be delisted from an exchange or if their trading should be suspended permanently, which would result in the loss of any remaining “time value” of the warrants (i.e., the difference between the current market value and the exercise value of the warrants), and, in the case the warrants were “out-of-the-money,” in a total loss of the purchase price of the warrants.
Warrants are generally unsecured obligations of their issuers and are not standardized foreign currency options issued by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). Unlike foreign currency options issued by OCC, the terms of foreign exchange warrants generally will not be amended in the event of governmental or regulatory actions affecting exchange rates or in the event of the imposition of other regulatory controls affecting the international currency markets. The initial public offering price of foreign currency warrants is generally considerably in excess of the price that a commercial user of foreign currencies might pay in the interbank market for a comparable option involving significantly larger amounts of foreign currencies. Foreign currency warrants are subject to significant foreign exchange risk, including risks arising from complex political or economic factors.
Principal Exchange Rate Linked Securities. Principal exchange rate linked securities (“PERLsSM”) are debt obligations the principal on which is payable at maturity in an amount that may vary based on the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and a particular foreign currency at or about that time. The return on “standard” principal exchange rate linked securities is enhanced if the foreign currency to which the security is linked appreciates against the U.S. Dollar, and is adversely affected by increases in the foreign exchange value of the U.S. Dollar; “reverse” principal exchange rate linked securities are like the “standard” securities, except that their return is enhanced by increases in the value of the U.S. Dollar and adversely impacted by increases in the value of foreign currency. Interest payments on the securities are generally made in U.S. Dollars at rates that reflect the degree of foreign currency risk assumed or given up by the purchaser of the notes (i.e., at relatively higher interest rates if the purchaser has assumed some of the foreign exchange risk, or relatively lower interest rates if the issuer has assumed some of the foreign exchange risk, based on the expectations of the current market). Principal exchange rate linked securities may in limited cases be subject to acceleration of maturity (generally, not without the consent of the holders of the securities), which may have an adverse impact on the value of the principal payment to be made at maturity.
Performance Indexed Paper. Performance indexed paper (“PIPsSM”) is U.S. Dollar-denominated commercial paper the yield of which is linked to certain foreign exchange rate movements. The yield to the investor on performance indexed paper
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is established at maturity as a function of spot exchange rates between the U.S. Dollar and a designated currency as of or about that time (generally, the index maturity two days prior to maturity). The yield to the investor will be within a range stipulated at the time of purchase of the obligation, generally with a guaranteed minimum rate of return that is below, and a potential maximum rate of return that is above, market yields on U.S. Dollar-denominated commercial paper, with both the minimum and maximum rates of return on the investment corresponding to the minimum and maximum values of the spot exchange rate two business days prior to maturity.
Foreign Securities
A Fund may have both direct and indirect exposure through investments in stock index futures contracts, options on stock index futures contracts and options on securities and on stock indices to foreign securities. In most cases, the best available market for foreign securities will be on exchanges or in OTC markets located outside the United States.
Investing in foreign securities carries political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the United States. Investments in foreign securities also involve the risk of possible adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, limitation on or delays in the removal of funds or other assets of a fund, political or financial instability or diplomatic and other developments that could affect such investments. Foreign investments may be affected by actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S. investors, including the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on U.S. investment or on the ability to repatriate assets or to convert currency into U.S. Dollars. There may be a greater possibility of default by foreign governments or foreign-government sponsored enterprises. Investments in foreign countries also involve a risk of local political, economic or social instability, military action or unrest or adverse diplomatic developments.
Asia-Pacific Countries. In addition to the risks associated with foreign and emerging markets, the developing market Asia-Pacific countries in which a Fund may invest are subject to certain additional or specific risks. A Fund may make substantial investments in Asia-Pacific countries. In the Asia-Pacific markets, there is a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries. Many of these markets also may be affected by developments with respect to more established markets in the region, such as Japan and Hong Kong. Brokers in developing market Asia-Pacific countries typically are fewer in number and less well-capitalized than brokers in the United States. These factors, combined with the U.S. regulatory requirements for open-end investment companies and the restrictions on foreign investment, result in potentially fewer investment opportunities for a Fund and may have an adverse impact on a Fund’s investment performance.
Many of the developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be subject to a greater degree of economic, political and social instability than is the case in the United States and Western European countries. Such instability may result from, among other things: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision-making, including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; and/or (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection. In addition, the governments of many of such countries, such as Indonesia, have a heavy role in regulating and supervising the economy.
An additional risk common to most such countries is that the economy is heavily export-oriented and, accordingly, is dependent upon international trade. The existence of overburdened infrastructure and obsolete financial systems also present risks in certain countries, as do environmental problems. Certain economies also depend to a significant degree upon exports of primary commodities and, therefore, are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices that, in turn, may be affected by a variety of factors. The legal systems in certain developing market Asia-Pacific countries also may have an adverse impact on a Fund. For example, while the potential liability of a shareholder in a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation is generally limited to the amount of the shareholder's investment, the notion of limited liability is less clear in certain emerging market Asia-Pacific countries. Similarly, the rights of investors in developing market Asia-Pacific companies may be more limited than those of shareholders of U.S. corporations. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain and/or enforce a judgment in a developing market Asia-Pacific country.
Governments of many developing market Asia-Pacific countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, the government owns or controls many companies, including the largest in the country. Accordingly, government actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in developing market Asia-Pacific countries, which could affect private sector companies and a Fund itself, as well as the value of securities in a Fund's portfolio. In addition, economic statistics of developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be less reliable than economic statistics of more developed nations.
It is possible that developing market Asia-Pacific issuers may not be subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards as U.S. companies. Inflation accounting rules in some developing market Asia-Pacific countries require companies that keep accounting records in the local currency, for both tax and accounting purposes, to restate certain assets and liabilities on the company’s balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits for certain developing market Asia-Pacific companies. In addition, satisfactory custodial services for investment securities may not be available in some developing Asia-Pacific
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countries, which may result in a Fund incurring additional costs and delays in providing transportation and custody services for such securities outside such countries.
Certain developing Asia-Pacific countries are especially large debtors to commercial banks and foreign governments. Fund management may determine that, notwithstanding otherwise favorable investment criteria, it may not be practicable or appropriate to invest in a particular developing Asia-Pacific country. A Fund may invest in countries in which foreign investors, including management of the Fund, have had no or limited prior experience.
Brazil. Investing in Brazil involves certain considerations not typically associated with investing in the United States. Additional considerations include: (i) investment and repatriation controls, which could affect a Fund’s ability to operate, and to qualify for the favorable tax treatment afforded to RICs for U.S. federal income tax purposes; (ii) fluctuations in the rate of exchange between the Brazilian Real and the U.S. Dollar; (iii) the generally greater price volatility and lesser liquidity that characterize Brazilian securities markets, as compared with U.S. markets; (iv) the effect that balance of trade could have on Brazilian economic stability and the Brazilian government's economic policy; (v) potentially high rates of inflation; (vi) governmental involvement in and influence on the private sector; (vii) Brazilian accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements, which differ from those in the United States; (viii) political and other considerations, including changes in applicable Brazilian tax laws; and (ix) restrictions on investments by foreigners. While the economy of Brazil has enjoyed substantial economic growth in recent years, there can be no guarantee that this growth will continue.
China. Investing in China involves special considerations not typically associated with investing in countries with more democratic governments or more established economies or currency markets. These risks include: (i) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (ii) greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy, interest rates and currency exchange rates; (iii) controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; (iv) greater social, economic and political uncertainty (including the risk of war); (v) dependency on exports and the corresponding importance of international trade; (vi) currency exchange rate fluctuations; and (vii) the risk that certain companies in which the Fund may invest may have dealings with countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government or identified as state sponsors of terrorism. The government of China maintains strict currency controls in support of economic, trade and political objectives and regularly intervenes in the currency market. The government's actions in this respect may not be transparent or predictable. As a result, the value of the Yuan, and the value of securities designed to provide exposure to the Yuan, can change quickly and arbitrarily. Furthermore, it is difficult for foreign investors to directly access money market securities in China because of investment and trading restrictions. While the economy of China has enjoyed substantial economic growth in recent years, there can be no guarantee this growth will continue. These and other factors may decrease the value and liquidity of a Fund's investments.
China A-shares are equity securities of companies based in mainland China that trade on Chinese stock exchanges such as the Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (“SZSE”) (“A-shares”). Foreign investment in A-shares on the SSE and SZSE is historically not permitted, other than through a license granted under regulations in the People’s Republic of China known as the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor and Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor systems. Each license permits investment in A-shares only up to a specified quota.
Investment in eligible A-shares listed and traded on the SSE is also permitted through the Stock Connect program. Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing program established by Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited, the SSE and Chinese Securities Depositary and Clearing Corporation that aims to provide mutual stock market access between China and Hong Kong by permitting investors to trade and settle shares on each market through their local exchanges. Certain Funds may invest in other investment companies that invest in A-shares through Stock Connect or on such other stock exchanges in China which participate in Stock Connect from time to time. Under Stock Connect, a Fund’s trading of eligible A-shares listed on the SSE would be effectuated through its Hong Kong broker.
Although no individual investment quotas or licensing requirements apply to investors in Stock Connect, trading through Stock Connect’s Northbound Trading Link is subject to aggregate and daily investment quota limitations that require that buy orders for A-shares be rejected once the remaining balance of the relevant quota drops to zero or the daily quota is exceeded (although a Fund will be permitted to sell A-shares regardless of the quota balance). These limitations may restrict a Fund from investing in A-shares on a timely basis, which could affect a Fund’s ability to effectively pursue its investment strategy. Investment quotas are also subject to change. Investment in eligible A-shares through Stock Connect is subject to trading, clearance and settlement procedures that could pose risks to a Fund. A-shares purchased through Stock Connect generally may not be sold or otherwise transferred other than through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable rules. In addition, Stock Connect will only operate on days when both the Chinese and Hong Kong markets are open for trading and when banks in both markets are open on the corresponding settlement days. Therefore, an investment in A-shares through Stock Connect may subject a Fund to a risk of price fluctuations on days where the Chinese market is open, but Stock Connect is not trading.
Developing and Emerging Markets. Emerging and developing markets abroad may offer special opportunities for investing, but may have greater risks than more developed foreign markets, such as those in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. There may be even less liquidity in their securities markets, and settlements of purchases and sales of securities may be subject to additional delays. They are subject to greater risks of limitations on the repatriation of income and profits
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because of currency restrictions imposed by local governments. Those countries may also be subject to the risk of greater political and economic instability, which can greatly affect the volatility of prices of securities in those countries.
Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in foreign developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; and possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. Dollar. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries. Additional risks of emerging markets securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions.
Europe. Investing in European countries may impose economic and political risks associated with Europe in general and the specific European countries in which it invests. The economies and markets of European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one European country can have an adverse impact on other European countries. A Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have significant operations in, member countries of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”), which requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including some or all of the emerging markets materials sector countries. Although certain European countries do not use the euro, many of these countries are obliged to meet the criteria for joining the euro zone. Consequently, these countries must comply with many of the restrictions noted above. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns, rising government debt levels and the possible default of government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In order to prevent further economic deterioration, certain countries, without prior warning, can institute “capital controls.” Countries may use these controls to restrict volatile movements of capital entering and exiting their country. Such controls may negatively affect a Fund’s investments. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country’s creditworthiness, which may be located in countries other than those listed above. In addition, the credit ratings of certain European countries were recently downgraded. These downgrades may result in further deterioration of investor confidence. These events have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU, including, with respect to the latter, the United Kingdom, which is a significant market in the global economy. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely impact the value of investments in the region.
The announcement of the Referendum of the United Kingdom’s (the “UK”) Membership of the EU (referred to as “Brexit”), advising for the exit of the UK from the EU, has caused business disruptions and uncertainty and thus adversely impact the financial results and operations of various European companies and economies. It is expected that the UK will exit the EU within two years of the UK’s formal notification under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon to the European Council of its intention to withdraw, which was formally made by Prime Minister Theresa May on March 29, 2017. There is considerable uncertainty as to the timing and requirements of the notification, as well as the potential consequences of Brexit. The effects of Brexit will depend on any agreements the UK makes to retain access to the EU Common Market either during a transitional period or more permanently. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Additionally, Brexit could lead to global economic uncertainty and result in significant volatility in the global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations.
India. Investments in India involve special considerations not typically associated with investing in countries with more established economies or currency markets. Political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax, or economic policy in India could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a
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negative impact on a Fund's performance. Agriculture occupies a prominent position in the Indian economy and the Indian economy, therefore, may be negatively affected by adverse weather conditions and the effects of global climate change. The Indian government exercises significant influence over many aspects of the economy, and the number of public sector enterprises in India is substantial. While the Indian government has implemented economic structural reform with the objectives of liberalizing India's exchange and trade policies, reducing the fiscal deficit, controlling inflation, promoting a sound monetary policy, reforming the financial sector, and placing greater reliance on market mechanisms to direct economic activity, there can be no assurance that these policies will continue or that the economic recovery will be sustained. While the government of India is liberalizing, it still places restrictions on the capability and capacity of foreign investors to access and trade Rupee directly. Foreign investors in India still face burdensome taxes on investments in income producing securities. While the economy of India has enjoyed substantial economic growth in recent years, there can be no guarantee this growth will continue. These and other factors may decrease the value and liquidity of a Fund's investments.
Japan. Japanese investments may be significantly affected by events influencing Japan’s economy and changes in the exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the U.S. Dollar. Japan’s economy fell into a long recession in the 1990s. After a few years of mild recovery in the mid-2000s, Japan’s economy fell into another recession as a result of the recent global economic crisis. Japan is heavily dependent on exports and foreign oil. Furthermore, Japan is located in a seismically active area, and in 2011 experienced an earthquake of a sizeable magnitude and a tsunami that significantly affected important elements of its infrastructure and resulted in a nuclear crisis. Since these events, Japan’s financial markets have fluctuated dramatically. The full extent of the impact of these events on Japan’s economy and on foreign investment in Japan is difficult to estimate. Japan’s economic prospects may be affected by the political and military situations of its near neighbors, notably North and South Korea, China, and Russia.
Latin America. Investments in Latin American countries involve special considerations not typically associated with investing in the United States. Most Latin American countries have experienced, at one time or another, severe and persistent levels of inflation, including, in some cases, hyperinflation. This has, in turn, led to high interest rates, extreme measures by governments to keep inflation in check, and a generally debilitating effect on economic growth. Although inflation in many countries has lessened, there is no guarantee it will remain at lower levels. In addition, the political history of certain Latin American countries has been characterized by political uncertainty, military intervention in civilian and economic spheres, and political corruption. Such developments, if they were to reoccur, could reverse favorable trends toward market and economic reform, privatization, and removal of trade barriers, and result in significant disruption to the securities markets. Certain Latin American countries may also have managed currencies, which are maintained at artificial levels to the U.S. Dollar rather than at levels determined by the market. This type of system can lead to sudden and large adjustments in the currency which, in turn, can have a disruptive and negative effect on foreign investors. For example, in late 1994, the value of the Mexican peso lost more than one-third of its value relative to the U.S. Dollar. Certain Latin American countries also restrict the free conversion of their currency into foreign currencies, including the U.S. Dollar. There is no significant foreign exchange market for many currencies and it would, as a result, be difficult for the Fund to engage in foreign currency transactions designed to protect the value of the Fund’s interests in securities denominated in such currencies. Finally, a number of Latin American countries are among the largest debtors of developing countries. There have been moratoria on, and reschedulings of, repayment with respect to these debts. Such events can restrict the flexibility of these debtor nations in the international markets and result in the imposition of onerous conditions on their economies.
Russia. Investing in Russia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investing in United States. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, Russia has experienced dramatic political and social change. The political system in Russia is emerging from a long history of extensive state involvement in economic affairs. The country is undergoing a rapid transition from a centrally-controlled command system to a market-oriented, democratic model. As a result, relative to companies operating in Western economies, companies in Russia are characterized by a lack of: (i) management with experience of operating in a market economy; (ii) modern technology; and, (iii) a sufficient capital base with which to develop and expand their operations. It is unclear what will be the future effect on Russian companies, if any, of Russia’s continued attempts to move toward a more market-oriented economy. Russia’s economy has experienced severe economic recession, if not depression, since 1990 during which time the economy has been characterized by high rates of inflation, high rates of unemployment, declining gross domestic product, deficit government spending, and a devalued currency. The economic reform program has involved major disruptions and dislocations in various sectors of the economy, and those problems have been exacerbated by growing liquidity problems. Further, Russia presently receives significant financial assistance from a number of countries through various programs. To the extent these programs are reduced or eliminated in the future, Russian economic development may be adversely impacted. The laws and regulations in Russia affecting Western investment business continue to evolve in an unpredictable manner. Russian laws and regulations, particularly those involving taxation, foreign investment and trade, title to property or securities, and transfer of title, which may be applicable to a Fund’s activities are relatively new and can change quickly and unpredictably in a manner far more volatile than in the United States or other developed market economies. Although basic commercial laws are in place, they are often unclear or contradictory and subject to varying interpretation, and may at any time be amended, modified, repealed or replaced in a manner adverse to the interest of the Funds.
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As a result of recent events involving Ukraine and Russia, the United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The United States and other nations or international organizations may impose additional, broader economic sanctions or take other actions that may adversely affect Russian-related issuers in the future. These sanctions, any future sanctions or other actions, or even the threat of further sanctions or other actions, may negatively affect the value and liquidity of a Fund’s investments. Russia may undertake countermeasures or retaliatory actions which may further impair the value and liquidity of a Fund’s investments.
Hybrid Instruments
A Fund may invest in hybrid instruments. A hybrid instrument is a type of potentially high-risk derivative that combines a traditional stock, bond, or commodity with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a hybrid is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some commodity, currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most fixed income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid security may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. A hybrid could be, for example, a bond issued by an oil company that pays a small base level of interest, in addition to interest that accrues when oil prices exceed a certain predetermined level. Such a hybrid instrument would be a combination of a bond and a call option on oil.
Hybrids can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including currency hedging, and increased total return. Hybrids may not bear interest or pay dividends. The value of a hybrid or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events, such as commodity shortages and currency devaluations, which cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid could be zero. Thus, an investment in a hybrid may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S. Dollar-denominated bond that has a fixed principal amount and pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of hybrids also exposes a Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the NAV of a Fund.
Certain issuers of structured products such as hybrid instruments may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, a Fund’s investment in these products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.
Illiquid Investments and Restricted Securities
Each Fund may purchase and hold illiquid investments. A Fund will not purchase or otherwise acquire any security if, as a result, more than 15% of its net assets (taken at current value) would be invested in investments that are illiquid. This policy does not include restricted securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”), which the Trust’s Board of Trustees (“Board” or “Trustees”), or Rafferty, under Board-approved guidelines, has determined are liquid. Each Fund, however, currently does not anticipate investing in such restricted securities.
The term “illiquid investments” for this purpose means investments that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the investments. Investments currently considered to be illiquid include: (1) repurchase agreements not terminable within seven days; (2) securities for which market quotations are not readily available; (3) OTC options and their underlying collateral; (4) bank deposits, unless they are payable at principal amount plus accrued interest on demand or within seven days after demand; (5) restricted securities not determined to be liquid pursuant to guidelines established by the Board; and (6) in certain circumstances, securities involved in swap, cap, floor or collar transactions.
A Fund may not be able to sell illiquid investments when Rafferty considers it desirable to do so or may have to sell such investments at a price that is lower than the price that could be obtained if the investments were liquid. In addition, the sale of illiquid investments may require more time and result in higher dealer discounts and other selling expenses than does the sale of investments that are not illiquid. Illiquid investments also may be more difficult to value due to the unavailability of reliable market quotations for such investments, and investment in illiquid investments may have an adverse impact on NAV.
Rule 144A establishes a “safe harbor” from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers. Institutional markets for restricted securities that have developed as a result of Rule 144A provide both readily ascertainable values for certain restricted securities and the ability to liquidate an investment to satisfy share redemption orders. An insufficient number of qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing Rule 144A-eligible securities held by a Fund, however, could affect adversely the marketability of such portfolio securities, and a Fund may be unable to dispose of such securities promptly or at reasonable prices.
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Indexed Securities
A Fund may purchase indexed securities, which are securities, the value of which varies positively or negatively in relation to the value of other securities, securities indices or other financial indicators, consistent with its investment objective. Indexed securities may be debt securities or deposits whose value at maturity or coupon rate is determined by reference to a specific instrument or statistic. Recent issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations and certain U.S. government agencies.
The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the security or other instrument to which they are indexed and also may be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. At the same time, indexed securities are subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer’s creditworthiness deteriorates. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments. Certain indexed securities that are not traded on an established market may be deemed illiquid. See “Illiquid Investments and Restricted Securities” above.
Inflation Protected Securities
Inflation protected securities are fixed income securities whose value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. Two structures are common. The U.S. Treasury and some other issuers utilize a structure that accrues inflation into the principal value of the bond. Other issuers pay out the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) accruals as part of a semiannual coupon. Inflation protected securities issued by the U.S. Treasury have maturities of approximately five, ten or thirty years, although it is possible that securities with other maturities will be issued in the future. The U.S. Treasury securities pay interest on a semi-annual basis equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation adjusted principal amount.
If the periodic adjustment rate measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation protected bonds will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation indexed bonds, even during a period of deflation. However, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. A Fund may also invest in other inflation related bonds which may or may not provide a similar guarantee. If a guarantee of principal is not provided, the adjusted principal value of the bond to be repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal amount and, therefore, is subject to credit risk.
The value of inflation protected bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates in turn are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if the rate of inflation rises at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation protected bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation protected bonds. While these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure.
The periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation protected bonds is tied to the non-seasonally adjusted U.S. City Average All Items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”), published monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy.
Any increase in principal for an inflation protected security resulting from inflation adjustments is considered by the IRS to be taxable income in the year it occurs. A Fund’s distributions to shareholders include interest income and the income attributable to principal adjustments, both of which will be taxable to shareholders. The tax treatment of the income attributable to principal adjustments may result in the situation where a Fund needs to make its required annual distributions to shareholders in amounts that exceed the cash received. As a result, a Fund may need to liquidate certain investments when it is not advantageous to do so. Also, if the principal value of an inflation protected security is adjusted downward due to deflation, amounts previously distributed in the taxable year may be characterized in some circumstances as a return of capital.
Interest Rate Swaps
In a typical interest rate swap agreement, one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a floating rate on a specified amount in exchange for payments equal to a fixed rate, or a different floating rate, on the same amount for a specified period. Among other techniques, a Fund may use interest rate swaps to offset declines in the value of fixed income securities held by a Fund. In such an instance, a Fund may agree with a counterparty to pay a fixed rate (multiplied by a notional amount) and the counterparty to pay a floating rate multiplied by the same notional amount. If long-term interest rates rise, resulting in a diminution in the value of a Fund’s portfolio, a Fund would receive payments under the swap that would offset, in whole or in part, such diminution in value; if interest rates fall, a Fund would likely lose money on the swap
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transaction. A Fund may also enter into constant maturity swaps, which are a variation of the typical interest rate swap. Constant maturity swaps are exposed to changes in long-term interest rate movements.
Junk Bonds
A Fund may invest in lower-rated debt securities, including securities in the lowest credit rating category, of any maturity, otherwise known as “junk bonds.”
Junk bonds generally offer a higher current yield than that available for higher-grade issues. However, lower-rated securities involve higher risks, in that they are especially subject to adverse changes in general economic conditions and in the industries in which the issuers are engaged, to changes in the financial condition of the issuers and to price fluctuations in response to changes in interest rates. During periods of economic downturn or rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress that could adversely affect their ability to make payments of interest and principal and increase the possibility of default. In addition, the market for lower-rated debt securities has expanded rapidly in recent years, and its growth paralleled a long economic expansion. At times in recent years, the prices of many lower-rated debt securities declined substantially, reflecting an expectation that many issuers of such securities might experience financial difficulties. As a result, the yields on lower-rated debt securities rose dramatically, but such higher yields did not reflect the value of the income stream that holders of such securities expected, but rather, the risk that holders of such securities could lose a substantial portion of their value as a result of the issuers’ financial restructuring or default. There can be no assurance that such declines will not recur.
The market for lower-rated debt issues generally is thinner and less active than that for higher quality securities, which may limit a Fund’s ability to sell such securities at fair value in response to changes in the economy or financial markets. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, may also decrease the values and liquidity of lower-rated securities, especially in a thinly traded market. Changes by recognized rating services in their rating of a fixed-income security may affect the value of these investments. A Fund will not necessarily dispose of a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. However, Rafferty will monitor the investment to determine whether continued investment in the security will assist in meeting a Fund’s investment objective.
Mortgage-Backed Securities
A Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities. A mortgage-backed security is a type of pass-through security, which is a security representing pooled debt obligations repackaged as interests that pass income through an intermediary to investors. In the case of mortgage-backed securities, the ownership interest is in a pool of mortgage loans.
Mortgage-backed securities are most commonly issued or guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae®” or “GNMA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae®” or “FNMA”) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac®” or “FHLMC”), but may also be issued or guaranteed by other private issuers. GNMA is a government-owned corporation that is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It guarantees, with the full faith and credit of the United States, full and timely payment of all monthly principal and interest on its mortgage-backed securities. FNMA is a publicly owned, government-sponsored corporation that mostly packages mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration, but also sells some non-governmentally backed mortgages. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest only by FNMA. FHLMC is a publicly chartered agency that buys qualifying residential mortgages from lenders, re-packages them and provides certain guarantees. Pass-through securities issued by FHLMC are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest only by FHLMC.
Mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers, whether or not such obligations are subject to guarantees by the private issuer, may entail greater risk than obligations directly or indirectly guaranteed by the U.S. government. The average life of a mortgage-backed security is likely to be substantially less than the original maturity of the mortgage pools underlying the securities. Prepayments of principal by mortgagors and mortgage foreclosures will usually result in the return of the greater part of principal invested far in advance of the maturity of the mortgages in the pool.
Collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) are debt obligations collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities (collateral collectively hereinafter referred to as “Mortgage Assets”). Multi-class pass-through securities are interests in a trust composed of Mortgage Assets and all references in this section to CMOs include multi-class pass-through securities. Principal prepayments on the Mortgage Assets may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates, resulting in a loss of all or part of the premium if any has been paid. Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. The principal and interest payments on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the various classes of CMOs in several ways. Typically, payments of principal, including any prepayments, on the underlying mortgages are applied to the classes in the order of their respective stated maturities or final distribution dates, so that no payment of principal is made on CMOs of a class until all CMOs of other classes having earlier stated maturities or final distribution dates have been paid in full.
Stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”) are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. A Fund will only invest in SMBS that are obligations backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. SMBS are usually structured with
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two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from a pool of Mortgage Assets. A Fund will only invest in SMBS whose Mortgage Assets are U.S. government obligations. A common type of SMBS will be structured so that one class receives some of the interest and most of the principal from the Mortgage Assets, while the other class receives most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. If the underlying Mortgage Assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, each Fund may fail to fully recoup its initial investment in these securities. The market value of any class which consists primarily, or entirely, of principal payments generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates.
Investment in mortgage-backed securities poses several risks, including among others, prepayment, market and credit risk. Prepayment risk reflects the risk that borrowers may prepay their mortgages faster than expected, thereby affecting the investment’s average life and perhaps its yield. Whether or not a mortgage loan is prepaid is almost entirely controlled by the borrower. Borrowers are most likely to exercise prepayment options at the time when it is least advantageous to investors, generally prepaying mortgages as interest rates fall, and slowing payments as interest rates rise. Besides the effect of prevailing interest rates, the rate of prepayment and refinancing of mortgages may also be affected by home value appreciation, ease of the refinancing process and local economic conditions. Market risk reflects the risk that the price of a security may fluctuate over time. The price of mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to prevailing interest rates, the length of time the security is expected to be outstanding, and the liquidity of the issue. In a period of unstable interest rates, there may be decreased demand for certain types of mortgage-backed securities, and a Fund invested in such securities wishing to sell them may find it difficult to find a buyer, which may in turn decrease the price at which they may be sold. Credit risk reflects the risk that a Fund may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer or credit enhancer has defaulted on its obligations. Obligations issued by U.S. government-related entities are guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The performance of private label mortgage-backed securities, issued by private institutions, is based on the financial health of those institutions. With respect to GNMA certificates, although GNMA guarantees timely payment even if homeowners delay or default, tracking the “pass-through” payments may, at times, be difficult.
Municipal Obligations
A Fund may invest in municipal obligations. Municipal securities are fixed-income securities issued by states, counties, cities and other political subdivisions and authorities. Although most municipal securities are exempt from federal income tax, municipalities also may issue taxable securities. Tax exempt securities are generally classified by their source of payment. In addition to the usual risks associated with investing for income, the value of municipal obligations can be affected by changes in the actual or perceived credit quality of the issuers. The credit quality of a municipal obligation can be affected by, among other factors: a) the financial condition of the issuer or guarantor; b) the issuer’s future borrowing plans and sources of revenue; c) the economic feasibility of the revenue bond project or general borrowing purpose; d) political or economic developments in the region or jurisdiction where the security is issued; and e) the liquidity of the security. Because municipal obligations are generally traded OTC, the liquidity of a particular issue often depends on the willingness of dealers to make a market in the security. The liquidity of some municipal issues can be enhanced by demand features, which enable a Fund to demand payment from the issuer or a financial intermediary on short notice.
Options, Futures and Other Derivative Strategies
General. A Fund may use certain options (traded on an exchange or OTC, or otherwise), futures contracts (sometimes referred to as “futures”) and options on futures contracts (collectively, "Financial Instruments") as a substitute for a comparable market position in the underlying security, to attempt to hedge or limit the exposure of a Fund’s position, to create a synthetic money market position, for certain tax-related purposes or to effect closing transactions.
The use of Financial Instruments is subject to applicable regulations of the SEC, the several exchanges upon which they are traded and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”). In addition, a Fund’s ability to use Financial Instruments will be limited by tax considerations. See “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes.”
Under current CFTC regulations, if a Fund uses commodity interests (such as futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swaps) other than for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the CFTC) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish these positions (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions and excluding the amount by which options that are “in-the-money” at the time of purchase) may not exceed 5% of a Fund’s NAV, or alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of those positions, as determined at the time the most recent position was established, may not exceed 100% of the fund’s NAV (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). Accordingly, each Fund will register prior to commencement of operations as a commodity pool, and the Adviser has registered as a commodity pool operator with the National Futures Association.
Each Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way a Fund operates, increase the particular costs of a Fund’s operation and/or change the competitive landscape. In this regard, any further
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amendment to the Commodity Exchange Act or its related regulations that subject a Fund to additional regulation may have adverse impacts on a Fund’s operations and expenses.
In addition to the instruments, strategies and risks described below and in the Prospectus, Rafferty may discover additional opportunities in connection with Financial Instruments and other similar or related techniques. These new opportunities may become available as Rafferty develops new techniques, as regulatory authorities broaden the range of permitted transactions and as new Financial Instruments or other techniques are developed. Rafferty may utilize these opportunities to the extent that they are consistent with a Fund’s investment objective and permitted by a Fund’s investment limitations and applicable regulatory authorities. A Fund’s Prospectus or this SAI will be supplemented to the extent that new products or techniques involve materially different risks than those described below or in the Prospectus.
Special Risks. The use of Financial Instruments involves special considerations and risks, certain of which are described below. Risks pertaining to particular Financial Instruments are described in the sections that follow.
(1) Successful use of most Financial Instruments depends upon Rafferty’s ability to predict movements of the overall securities markets, which requires different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets, due to the differences in the natures of those markets, are subject to distortion. Due to the possibility of distortion, a correct forecast of stock market trends by Rafferty may still not result in a successful transaction. Rafferty may be incorrect in its expectations as to the extent of market movements or the time span within which the movements take place, which, thus, may result in the strategy being unsuccessful.
(2) Options and futures prices can diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments. Options and futures prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect or no correlation also may result from differing levels of demand in the options and futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how options and futures and securities are traded, and from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts.
(3) As described below, a Fund might be required to maintain assets as “cover,” maintain segregated accounts or make margin payments when it takes positions in Financial Instruments involving obligations to third parties (e.g., Financial Instruments other than purchased options). If a Fund were unable to close out its positions in such Financial Instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expired or matured. These requirements might impair a Fund’s ability to sell a portfolio security or make an investment when it would otherwise be favorable to do so or require that a Fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time. A Fund’s ability to close out a position in a Financial Instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends on the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the other party to the transaction (the “counterparty”) to enter into a transaction closing out the position. Therefore, there is no assurance that any position can be closed out at a time and price that is favorable to a Fund.
(4) Losses may arise due to unanticipated market price movements, lack of a liquid secondary market for any particular instrument at a particular time or due to losses from premiums paid by a Fund on options transactions.
Cover. Transactions using Financial Instruments, other than purchased options, expose a Fund to an obligation to another party. A Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (1) an offsetting (“covered”) position in securities or other options or futures contracts or (2) cash and liquid assets with a value, marked-to-market daily, sufficient to cover its potential obligations to the extent not covered as provided in (1) above. Each Fund will comply with SEC guidelines regarding cover for these instruments and will, if the guidelines so require, set aside cash or liquid assets in an account with its custodian, the Bank of New York Mellon ("BNYM"), in the prescribed amount as determined daily.
Assets used as cover or held in an account cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding Financial Instrument is open, unless they are replaced with other appropriate assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of a Fund’s assets to cover or accounts could impede portfolio management or a Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.
Options. The value of an option position will reflect, among other things, the current market value of the underlying investment, the time remaining until expiration, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying investment and general market conditions. Options that expire unexercised have no value. Options currently are traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange®, the Exchange and other exchanges, as well as the OTC markets.
By buying a call option on a security, a Fund has the right, in return for the premium paid, to buy the security underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing (selling) a call option and receiving a premium, a Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to deliver securities underlying the option at the exercise price if the option is exercised. By buying a put option, a Fund has the right, in return for the premium, to sell the security underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing a put option, a Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to purchase the securities underlying the option at the exercise price.
Because options premiums paid or received by a Fund are small in relation to the market value of the investments underlying the options, buying and selling put and call options can be more speculative than investing directly in securities.
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A Fund may effectively terminate its right or obligation under an option by entering into a closing transaction. For example, a Fund may terminate its obligation under a call or put option that it had written by purchasing an identical call or put option; this is known as a closing purchase transaction. Conversely, a Fund may terminate a position in a put or call option it had purchased by writing an identical put or call option; this is known as a closing sale transaction. Closing transactions permit a Fund to realize profits or limit losses on an option position prior to its exercise or expiration.
Risks of Options on Currencies and Securities. Exchange-traded options in the United States are issued by a clearing organization affiliated with the exchange on which the option is listed that, in effect, guarantees completion of every exchange-traded option transaction. In contrast, OTC options are contracts between a Fund and its counterparty (usually a securities dealer or a bank) with no clearing organization guarantee. Thus, when a Fund purchases an OTC option, it relies on the counterparty from which it purchased the option to make or take delivery of the underlying investment upon exercise of the option. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of any premium paid by a Fund as well as the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.
A Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions in exchange-traded options depends on the existence of a liquid market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist at any particular time. Closing transactions can be made for OTC options only by negotiating directly with the counterparty, or by a transaction in the secondary market if any such market exists. There can be no assurance that a Fund will in fact be able to close out an OTC option position at a favorable price prior to expiration. In the event of insolvency of the counterparty, a Fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration.
If a Fund were unable to effect a closing transaction for an option it had purchased, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit. The inability to enter into a closing purchase transaction for a covered call option written by a Fund could cause material losses because a Fund would be unable to sell the investment used as cover for the written option until the option expires or is exercised.
Options on Indices. An index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the securities included in the index. Options on indices give the holder the right to receive an amount of cash upon exercise of the option. Receipt of this cash amount will depend upon the closing level of the index upon which the option is based being greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of put) the exercise price of the option. Some stock index options are based on a broad market index such as the S&P 500® Composite Stock Index, the NYSE Composite Index or the NYSE Arca Major Market Index or on a narrower index such as the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Over-the-Counter Index.
Each of the exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options on the same index that may be bought or written by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such options are written on the same or different exchanges or are held or written on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). Under these limitations, option positions of all investment companies advised by Rafferty are combined for purposes of these limits. Pursuant to these limitations, an exchange may order the liquidation of positions and may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These positions limits may restrict the number of listed options that a Fund may buy or sell.
Puts and calls on indices are similar to puts and calls on securities or futures contracts except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities or futures contracts. When a Fund writes a call on an index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from a Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total value for each point of such difference. When a Fund buys a call on an index, it pays a premium and has the same rights to such call as are indicated above. When a Fund buys a put on an index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon a Fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to a Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put, which amount of cash is determined by the multiplier, as described above for calls. When a Fund writes a put on an index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require a Fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the index and the exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.
Risks of Options on Indices. If a Fund has purchased an index option and exercises it before the closing index value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, a Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.
OTC Options. Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows a Fund great flexibility to tailor the option to its needs, OTC options generally involve greater risk than exchange-traded options, which are guaranteed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded.
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Forward Contracts. Each Fund may enter into equity, equity index or interest rate forward contracts for purposes of attempting to gain exposure to an index or group of securities without actually purchasing these securities, or to hedge a position. Forward contracts are two-party contracts pursuant to which one party agrees to pay the counterparty a fixed price for an agreed upon amount of commodities, securities, or the cash value of the commodities, securities or the securities index, at an agreed upon date. Because they are two-party contracts and may have terms greater than seven days, forward contracts may be considered to be illiquid for the Fund’s illiquid investment limitations. A Fund will not enter into any forward contract unless Rafferty believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. A Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a forward contract in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a counterparty. If such a default occurs, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the forward contract, but such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect the Fund’s rights as a creditor.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. A futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take delivery of) the specified security on the expiration date of the contract. An index futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take) an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical delivery of the underlying securities in the index is made.
When a Fund writes an option on a futures contract, it becomes obligated, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. If a Fund writes a call, it assumes a short futures position. If it writes a put, it assumes a long futures position. When a Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, it acquires the right in return for the premium it pays to assume a position in a futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put).
Whether a Fund realizes a gain or loss from futures activities depends upon movements in the underlying security or index. The extent of a Fund’s loss from an unhedged short position in futures contracts or from writing unhedged call options on futures contracts is potentially unlimited. A Fund only purchases and sells futures contracts and options on futures contracts that are traded on a U.S. exchange or board of trade.
No price is paid upon entering into a futures contract. Instead, at the inception of a futures contract a Fund is required to deposit “initial margin” in an amount generally equal to 10% or less of the contract value. Margin also must be deposited when writing a call or put option on a futures contract, in accordance with applicable exchange rules. Unlike margin in securities transactions, initial margin does not represent a borrowing, but rather is in the nature of a performance bond or good-faith deposit that is returned to a Fund at the termination of the transaction if all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Under certain circumstances, such as periods of high volatility, a Fund may be required by an exchange to increase the level of its initial margin payment, and initial margin requirements might be increased generally in the future by regulatory action.
Subsequent “variation margin” payments are made to and from the futures commission merchant daily as the value of the futures position varies, a process known as “marking-to-market.” Variation margin does not involve borrowing, but rather represents a daily settlement of a Fund’s obligations to or from a futures commission merchant. When a Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, the premium paid plus transaction costs is all that is at risk. In contrast, when a Fund purchases or sells a futures contract or writes a call or put option thereon, it is subject to daily variation margin calls that could be substantial in the event of adverse price movements. If a Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it might need to sell securities at a time when such sales are disadvantageous.
Purchasers and sellers of futures contracts and options on futures can enter into offsetting closing transactions, similar to closing transactions in options, by selling or purchasing, respectively, an instrument identical to the instrument purchased or sold. Positions in futures and options on futures contracts may be closed only on an exchange or board of trade that provides a secondary market. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time. In such event, it may not be possible to close a futures contract or options position.
Under certain circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or an option on a futures contract can vary from the previous day’s settlement price; once that limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. Daily price limits do not limit potential losses because prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive days with little or no trading, thereby preventing liquidation of unfavorable positions.
If a Fund were unable to liquidate a futures contract or an option on a futures position due to the absence of a liquid secondary market or the imposition of price limits, it could incur substantial losses. A Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. In addition, except in the case of purchased options, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments and might be required to maintain cash or liquid assets in an account.
Risks of Futures Contracts and Options Thereon. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets (including the options on futures markets), due to differences in the natures of those markets, are subject to the following factors, which may create distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which could distort the normal relationships between the cash and futures markets. Second, the
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liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause temporary price distortions.
Risks Associated with Commodity Futures Contracts. There are several additional risks associated with transactions in commodity futures contracts.
Storage. Unlike the financial futures markets, in the commodity futures markets there are costs of physical storage associated with purchasing the underlying commodity. The price of the commodity futures contract will reflect the storage costs of purchasing the physical commodity, including the time value of money invested in the physical commodity. To the extent that the storage costs for an underlying commodity change while a Fund is invested in futures contracts on that commodity, the value of the futures contract may change proportionately.
Reinvestment. In the commodity futures markets, producers of the underlying commodity may decide to hedge the price risk of selling the commodity by selling futures contracts today to lock in the price of the commodity at delivery tomorrow. In order to induce speculators to purchase the other side of the same futures contract, the commodity producer generally must sell the futures contract at a lower price than the expected future spot price. Conversely, if most hedgers in the futures market are purchasing futures contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, then speculators will only sell the other side of the futures contract at a higher futures price than the expected future spot price of the commodity. The changing nature of the hedgers and speculators in the commodity markets will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price, which can have significant implications for a Fund. If the nature of hedgers and speculators in futures markets has shifted when it is time for a Fund to reinvest the proceeds of a maturing contract in a new futures contract, the Fund might reinvest at higher or lower futures prices, or choose to pursue other investments.
Other Economic Factors. The commodities which underlie commodity futures contracts may be subject to additional economic and non-economic variables, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political and regulatory developments. These factors may have a larger impact on commodity prices and commodity-linked instruments, including futures contracts, than on traditional securities. Certain commodities are also subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of the prices for certain raw materials and the instability of supplies of other materials. These additional variables may create additional investment risks which subject a Fund’s investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities.
Combined Positions. A Fund may purchase and write options in combination with each other. For example, a Fund may purchase a put option and write a call option on the same underlying instrument, in order to construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract. Another possible combined position would involve writing a call option at one strike price and buying a call option at a lower price, in order to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.
Other Investment Companies
Open-end and Closed-end Investment Companies. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, including open- and closed-end funds and ETFs. Investments in the securities of other investment companies may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company, a Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly will bear a Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with a Fund’s own operations.
Each Fund intends to limit its investments in securities issued by other investment companies in accordance with the 1940 Act. Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act precludes a Fund from acquiring (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of another investment company; (ii) shares of another investment company having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund; or (iii) shares of another registered investment company and all other investment companies having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the Fund. However, Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act provides that the provisions of paragraph 12(d) shall not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by a Fund if (i) immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of such investment company is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the Fund; and (ii) the Fund has not offered or sold, and is not proposing to offer or sell its shares through a principal underwriter or otherwise at a public or offering price that includes a sales load of more than 1 1/2%.
If a Fund invests in investment companies pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F), it must comply with the following voting restrictions: when the Fund exercises voting rights, by proxy or otherwise, with respect to investment companies owned by the Fund, the Fund will either seek instruction from the Funds' shareholders with regard to the voting of all proxies and vote in
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accordance with such instructions, or vote the shares held by a Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of such security. In addition, an investment company purchased by a Fund pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F) shall not be required to redeem its shares in an amount exceeding 1% of such investment company’s total outstanding shares in any period of less than thirty days. Also, to the extent that an ETF has exemptive relief under Section 12(d)(1)(J), a Fund may rely on that exemptive relief to exceed the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1)(A).
Shares of another investment company or ETF that has received exemptive relief from the SEC to permit other funds to invest in its shares without these limitations are excluded from such restrictions to the extent that a Fund has complied with the requirements of such orders. To the extent that a Fund invests in open-end or closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in the securities of companies located outside the United States, see the risks related to foreign securities set forth above.
Exchange-Traded Products. Each Fund may invest in Exchange Traded Products (“ETPs”), which include ETFs, partnerships, commodity pools or trusts that are bought and sold on a securities exchange. A Fund may also invest in exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”), which are structured debt securities, whereby the issuer of the ETN promises to pay ETN holders the return on an index or market segment over a certain period of time and then return the principal of the investment at maturity. Whereas ETPs’ liabilities are secured by their portfolio securities, ETNs’ liabilities are unsecured general obligations of the issuer. Therefore, ETNs are subject to the credit risk of the issuer of the ETN, which is different than other ETPs. Most ETPs and ETNs are designed to track a particular market segment or index, although an ETP or ETN may be actively managed. ETPs and ETNs share expenses associated with their operation, typically including advisory fees and other management expenses. When a Fund invests in an ETP or ETN, in addition to directly bearing expenses associated with its own operations, it will bear its pro rata portion of the ETP’s or ETN’s expenses. The risks of owning an ETP or ETN generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETP or ETN is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETP or ETN could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. In addition, because of ETP or ETN expenses, compared to owning the underlying securities directly, it may be more costly to own an ETP or ETN. The value of an ETN security should also be expected to fluctuate with the credit rating of the issuer.
Additionally, a Fund may invest in swap agreements referencing ETFs. If a Fund invests in ETFs or swap agreements referencing ETFs, the underlying ETFs may not necessarily track the same index as a Fund.
Money Market Funds. Money market funds are open-end registered investment companies which have historically traded at a stable $1.00 per share price. In July 2014, the SEC adopted amendments to money market fund regulations (“2014 Amendments”) intended to address perceived systemic risks associated with money market funds and to improve transparency for money market fund investors. In general, the 2014 Amendments require money market funds that do not meet the definitions of a retail money market fund or government money market fund to transact at a floating NAV per share (similar to all other non-money market mutual funds), instead of at a $1 stable share price, as has traditionally been the case. The 2014 Amendments also permit all money market funds to impose liquidity fees and redemption gates for use in times of market stress. The SEC also adopted additional diversification, stress testing, and disclosure measures. The 2014 Amendments represent significant departures from the traditional operation of money market funds and the impact that these amendments might have on money market funds is unclear; however, any impact on the trading and value of money market instruments as a result of the 2014 Amendments may negatively affect a Fund’s yield and return potential. The 2014 Amendments became effective in October 2016.
Real Estate Companies
A Fund may make investments in the securities of real estate companies, which are regarded as those which derive at least 50% of their respective revenues from the ownership, construction, financing, management or sale of commercial, industrial, or residential real estate, or have at least 50% of their respective assets in such real estate. Such investments include common stocks (including real estate investment trust shares, see “Real Estate Investment Trusts” below), rights or warrants to purchase common stocks, securities convertible into common stocks where the conversion feature represents, in Rafferty’s view, a significant element of the securities’ value, and preferred stocks.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)
A Fund may make investments in REITs. REITs include equity, mortgage and hybrid REITs. Equity REITs own real estate properties, and their revenue comes principally from rent. Mortgage REITs loan money to real estate owners, and their revenue comes principally from interest earned on their mortgage loans. Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs. The value of an equity REIT may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property, while a mortgage REIT may be affected by the quality of the credit extended. The performance of both types of REITs depends upon conditions in the real estate industry, management skills and the amount of cash flow. The risks associated with REITs include defaults by borrowers, self-liquidation, failure to qualify as a pass-through entity under the federal tax law, failure to qualify as an exempt entity under the 1940 Act and the fact that REITs are not diversified.
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Repurchase Agreements
A Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System or securities dealers who are members of a national securities exchange or are primary dealers in U.S. government securities. Repurchase agreements generally are for a short period of time, usually less than a week. Under a repurchase agreement, a Fund purchases a U.S. government security and simultaneously agrees to sell the security back to the seller at a mutually agreed-upon future price and date, normally one day or a few days later. The resale price is greater than the purchase price, reflecting an agreed-upon market interest rate during a Fund’s holding period. While the maturities of the underlying securities in repurchase agreement transactions may be more than one year, the term of each repurchase agreement always will be less than one year. Repurchase agreements with a maturity of more than seven days are considered to be illiquid investments. A Fund may not enter into such a repurchase agreement if, as a result, more than 15% of the value of its net assets would then be invested in such repurchase agreements and other illiquid investments. See “Illiquid Investments and Restricted Securities” above.
A Fund will always receive, as collateral, securities whose market value, including accrued interest, at all times will be at least equal to 100% of the dollar amount invested by a Fund in each repurchase agreement. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the seller, a Fund will liquidate those securities (whose market value, including accrued interest, must be at least 100% of the amount invested by a Fund) held under the applicable repurchase agreement, which securities constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to repurchase the security. If the seller defaults, a Fund might incur a loss if the value of the collateral securing the repurchase agreement declines and might incur disposition costs in connection with liquidating the collateral. In addition, if bankruptcy or similar proceedings are commenced with respect to the seller of the security, realization upon the collateral by a Fund may be delayed or limited.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
A Fund may borrow by entering into reverse repurchase agreements with the same parties with whom it may enter into repurchase agreements. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, a Fund sells securities and agrees to repurchase them at a mutually agreed to price. At the time a Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will establish and maintain a segregated account with an approved custodian containing liquid high-grade securities, marked-to-market daily, having a value not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of securities retained in lieu of sale by a Fund may decline below the price of the securities a Fund has sold but is obliged to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, such buyer or its trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce a Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities. During that time, a Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement effectively may be restricted. Reverse repurchase agreements create leverage, a speculative factor, and are considered borrowings for the purpose of a Fund’s limitation on borrowing.
Short Sales
A Fund may engage in short sale transactions under which a Fund sells a security it does not own. To complete such a transaction, a Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. A Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by a Fund. Until the security is replaced, a Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividends that accrue during the period of the loan. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet the margin requirements, until the short position is closed out.
Until a Fund closes its short position or replaces the borrowed stock, a Fund will: (1) maintain an account containing cash or liquid assets at such a level that (a) the amount deposited in the account plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will equal the current value of the stock sold short and (b) the amount deposited in the account plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will not be less than the market value of the stock at the time the stock was sold short; or (2) otherwise cover a Fund’s short position.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk
An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and a Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt obligation, including U.S. Treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect a Fund. Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and
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less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which a Fund may invest and/or have exposure to have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
Swap Agreements
A Fund may enter into swap agreements. Swap agreements are generally two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a day to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. Some swaps are, and more in the future will be, centrally cleared. Swaps that are centrally-cleared are subject to the creditworthiness of the clearing organizations involved in the transaction. For example, an investor could lose margin payments it has deposited with the clearing organization as well as the net amount of gains not yet paid by the clearing organization if it breaches its agreement with the investor or becomes insolvent or goes into bankruptcy. In the event of bankruptcy of the clearing organization, the investor may be entitled to the net amount of gains the investor is entitled to receive plus the return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the clearing organization’s other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the investor.
An interest rate swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange interest payments on a designated amount of two different securities for a designated period of time. For example, two parties may agree to exchange interest payments on variable and fixed rate instruments. A Fund may enter into interest rate swap transactions to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or a portion of its bond portfolio.
A total return swap is a contract whereby one party agrees to make a series of payments to another party based on the change in the market value of the assets underlying such contract (which can include a security, commodity, index or baskets thereof) during the specified period. In exchange, the other party to the contract agrees to make a series of payments calculated by reference to an interest rate and/or some other agreed-upon amount (including the change in market value of other underlying assets). A Fund may use total return swaps to gain exposure to an asset without owning it or taking physical custody of it. For example, a Fund investing in total return commodity swaps will receive the price appreciation of a commodity, commodity index or portion thereof in exchange for payment of an agreed-upon fee.
In a credit default swap, the credit default protection buyer makes periodic payments, known as premiums, to the credit default protection seller. In return the credit default protection seller will make a payment to the credit default protection buyer upon the occurrence of a specified credit event. A credit default swap can refer to a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets, each known as the reference entity or underlying asset. A Fund may act as either the buyer or the seller of a credit default swap. A Fund may buy or sell credit default protection on a basket of issuers or assets, even if a number of the underlying assets referenced in the basket are lower-quality debt securities. In an unhedged credit default swap, a Fund buys credit default protection on a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets without owning the underlying asset or debt issued by the reference entity. Credit default swaps involve greater and different risks than investing directly in the referenced asset, because, in addition to market risk, credit default swaps include liquidity, counterparty and operational risk.
Credit default swaps allow a fund to acquire or reduce credit exposure to a particular issuer, asset or basket of assets. If a swap agreement calls for payments by a fund, the Fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. If a Fund is the credit default protection seller, the Fund will experience a loss if a credit event occurs and the credit of the reference entity or underlying asset has deteriorated. If a Fund is the credit default protection buyer, the Fund will be required to pay premiums to the credit default protection seller.
Most swap agreements entered into by a Fund calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently, a Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement generally will be equal to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). Payments may be made at the conclusion of a swap agreement or periodically during its term.
Swap agreements do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, if a swap is entered into on a net basis, if the other party to a swap agreement defaults, a Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that such Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any.
The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to a swap agreement entered into on a net basis will be accrued daily and an amount of cash or liquid asset having an aggregate NAV at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in an account with the Custodian that satisfies the 1940 Act. A Fund also will establish and maintain such accounts with respect to its total obligations under any swaps that are not entered into on a net basis.
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Obligations under swap agreements so covered will not be construed to be “senior securities” for purposes of a Fund’s investment restriction concerning senior securities.
Because they are generally two-party contracts and may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid for a Fund’s illiquid investment limitations. A Fund will not enter into any swap agreement unless Rafferty believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. A Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty.
A Fund may enter into a swap agreement with respect to an index in circumstances where Rafferty believes that it may be more cost effective or practical than buying the underlying securities represented by such index or a futures contract or an option on such index. The counterparty to any swap agreement will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker-dealer. The counterparty will generally agree to pay a Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the swap agreement would have increased in value had it been invested in the particular stocks represented in the index, plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. A Fund will agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the swap agreement plus the amount, if any, by which the notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to a Fund on any swap agreement should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by a Fund on the notional amount.
The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. In addition, as discussed above, some swaps currently are, and more in the future will be, centrally cleared, which affects how swaps are transacted. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments that are traded in the OTC market. Rafferty, under the supervision of the Board, is responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of Fund transactions in swap agreements.
The use of equity swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions.
Unrated Debt Securities
A Fund may also invest in unrated debt securities. Unrated debt, while not necessarily lower in quality than rated securities, may not have as broad a market. Because of the size and perceived demand for the issue, among other factors, certain issuers may decide not to pay the cost of getting a rating for their bonds. The creditworthiness of the issuer, as well as any financial institution or other party responsible for payments on the security, will be analyzed to determine whether to purchase unrated bonds.
U.S. Government Securities
A Fund may invest in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities (“U.S. government securities”) in pursuit of its investment objective, in order to deposit such securities as initial or variation margin, as “cover” for the investment techniques it employs, as part of a cash reserve or for liquidity purposes.
U.S. government securities are high-quality instruments issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Treasury Department (“U.S. Treasury”) or by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. government. Not all U.S. government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some are backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; others are backed by discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agencies’ obligations; while others are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment.
U.S. government securities include U.S. Treasury obligations, which includes U.S. Treasury Bills (which mature within one year of the date they are issued), U.S. Treasury Notes (which have maturities of one to ten years) and U.S. Treasury Bonds (which generally have maturities of more than 10 years). All such U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.
U.S. government securities also include obligations issued by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (such as securities issued or guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration, Freddie Mac©, Fannie Mae®, Ginnie Mae®, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the General Services Administration and the Maritime Administration and certain securities issued by the Small Business Administration).
Also, U.S. government securities include securities that are guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored entities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (such as Fannie Mae®, Freddie Mac®, or the Federal Home Loan Banks). These U.S. government-sponsored entities, although chartered and sponsored by the U.S. Congress, are not guaranteed, nor insured, by the U.S. government, They are supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or corporation.
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In September 2008, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) announced that Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® had been placed in conservatorship. Since that time, Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® have received significant capital support through U.S. Treasury preferred stock purchases, as well as U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve purchases of their mortgage backed securities (“MBS”). The FHFA and the U.S. Treasury (through its agreement to purchase Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® preferred stock) have imposed strict limits on the size of their mortgage portfolios. While the MBS purchase programs ended in 2010, the U.S. Treasury continued its support for the entities’ capital as necessary to prevent a negative net worth through at least 2012. Although the U.S. Treasury and other governmental entities provided significant support to Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac®, there is no guarantee they would do so again. An FHFA stress test suggested that in a “severely adverse scenario” additional Treasury support of between $84.4 billion and $190 billion (depending on the treatment of deferred tax assets) might be required. Nonetheless, no assurance can be given that Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® will remain successful in meeting their obligations with respect to the debt and mortgage-backed securities that they issue.
In addition, the problems faced by Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac®, resulting in their being placed into federal conservatorship and receiving significant U.S. government support, have sparked serious debate among federal policy makers regarding the continued role of the U.S. government in providing liquidity for mortgage loans. In December 2011, Congress enacted the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act (“TCCA”) of 2011 which, among other provisions, requires that Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® increase their single-family guaranty fees by at least 10 basis points and remit this increase to Treasury with respect to all loans acquired by Fannie Mae® or Freddie Mac® on or after April 1, 2012 and before January 1, 2022. Serious discussions among policymakers continue, however, as to whether Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® should be nationalized, privatized, restructured, or eliminated altogether. Fannie Mae reported in the second quarter of 2014 that there was “significant uncertainty regarding the future of our company, including how long the company will continue to exist in its current form, the extent of our role in the market, what form we will have, and what ownership interest, if any, our current common and preferred stockholders will hold in us after the conservatorship is terminated and whether we will continue to exist following conservatorship.” Freddie Mac faces similar uncertainty about its future role. Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® also are the subject of several continuing legal actions and investigations over certain accounting, disclosure, or corporate governance matters, which (along with any resulting financial restatements) may continue to have an adverse effect on the guaranteeing entities.
Yields on short-, intermediate- and long-term U.S. government securities are dependent on a variety of factors, including the general conditions of the money and bond markets, the size of a particular offering and the maturity of the obligation. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher capital appreciation and depreciation than obligations with shorter maturities and lower yields. The market value of U.S. government securities generally varies inversely with changes in the market interest rates. An increase in interest rates, therefore, generally would reduce the market value of a Fund’s portfolio investments in U.S. government securities, while a decline in interest rates generally would increase the market value of a Fund’s portfolio investments in these securities.
U.S. Government Sponsored Enterprises (“GSEs”)
GSE securities are securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. Some obligations issued by GSEs are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality and others only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality. Those securities bear fixed, floating or variable rates of interest. Interest may fluctuate based on generally recognized reference rates or the relationship of rates. While the U.S. government currently provides financial support to such GSEs or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it will always do so, since it is not so obligated by law.
Certain U.S. government debt securities, such as securities of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. Others, such as securities issued by Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac®, are supported only by the credit of the corporation. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, a fund must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation in the event the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitments. The U.S. government may choose not to provide financial support to GSEs or instrumentalities if it is not legally obligated to do so. A fund will invest in securities of such instrumentalities only when Rafferty is satisfied that the credit risk with respect to any such instrumentality is comparatively minimal.
When-Issued Securities
A Fund may enter into firm commitment agreements for the purchase of securities on a specified future date. A Fund may purchase, for example, new issues of fixed-income instruments on a when-issued basis, whereby the payment obligation, or yield to maturity, or coupon rate on the instruments may not be fixed at the time of transaction. A Fund will not purchase securities on a when-issued basis if, as a result, more than 15% of its net assets would be so invested. If a Fund enters into a firm commitment agreement, liability for the purchase price and the rights and risks of ownership of the security accrue to a Fund at the time it becomes obligated to purchase such security, although delivery and payment occur at a later date. Accordingly, if the market price of the security should decline, the effect of such an agreement would be to obligate a Fund to purchase the security at a price above the current market price on the date of delivery and payment. During the
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time a Fund is obligated to purchase such a security, it will be required to segregate assets with an approved custodian in an amount sufficient to settle the transaction.
Zero-Coupon, Payment-In-Kind and Strip Securities
A Fund may invest in zero-coupon, payment-in-kind and strip securities of any rating or maturity. Zero-coupon securities make no periodic interest payment but are sold at a deep discount from their face value, otherwise known as “original issue discount” or “OID.” The buyer earns a rate of return determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed at face value on a specified maturity date. The OID varies depending on the time remaining until maturity, as well as market interest rates, liquidity of the security, and the issuer’s perceived credit quality. If the issuer defaults, a Fund may not receive any return on its investment. Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest and compound semi-annually at the rate fixed at the time of issuance, their value generally is more volatile than the value of other fixed-income securities. Since zero-coupon security holders do not receive interest payments, when interest rates rise, zero-coupon securities fall more dramatically in value than securities paying interest on a current basis. When interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities rise more rapidly in value because the securities reflect a fixed rate of return. Payment-in-kind securities allow the issuer, at its option, to make current interest payments either in cash or in additional debt obligations of the issuer. Both zero-coupon securities and payment-in-kind securities allow an issuer to avoid the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments.
An investment in zero-coupon securities and delayed interest securities (which do not make interest payments until after a specified time) may cause a Fund to recognize income and be required to make distributions thereof to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on its investment. Moreover, even though payment-in-kind securities do not pay current interest in cash, a Fund nonetheless is required to accrue interest income on these investments and to distribute the interest income at least annually to shareholders. See “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes Income from Zero Coupon and Payment-in-Kind Securities.” Thus, a Fund could be required at times to liquidate other investments to satisfy distribution requirements.
A Fund may also invest in strips, which are debt securities whose interest coupons are taken out and traded separately after the securities are issued but otherwise are comparable to zero-coupon securities. Like zero-coupon securities and payment-in-kind securities, strips are generally more sensitive to interest rate fluctuations than interest paying securities of comparable term and quality.
Other Investment Risks and Practices
Borrowing. A Fund may borrow money for investment purposes, which is a form of leveraging. Leveraging investments, by purchasing securities with borrowed money, is a speculative technique that increases investment risk while increasing investment opportunity. Leverage will magnify changes in a Fund’s NAV and on a Fund’s investments. Although the principal of such borrowings will be fixed, a Fund’s assets may change in value during the time the borrowing is outstanding. Leverage also creates interest expenses for a Fund. To the extent the income derived from securities purchased with borrowed funds exceeds the interest a Fund will have to pay, that Fund’s net income will be greater than it would be if leverage were not used. Conversely, if the income from the assets obtained with borrowed funds is not sufficient to cover the cost of leveraging, the net income of a Fund will be less than it would be if leverage were not used, and therefore the amount available for distribution to shareholders as dividends will be reduced. The use of derivatives in connection with leverage creates the potential for significant loss.
A Fund may borrow money to facilitate management of a Fund’s portfolio by enabling a Fund to meet redemption requests when the liquidation of portfolio instruments would be inconvenient or disadvantageous. Such borrowing is not for investment purposes and will be repaid by the borrowing Fund promptly.
As required by the 1940 Act, a Fund must maintain continuous asset coverage (total assets, including assets acquired with borrowed funds, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of all amounts borrowed. If at any time the value of the required asset coverage declines as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, a Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio investments within three days to reduce the amount of its borrowings and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell portfolio instruments at that time.
Lending Portfolio Securities. Each Fund may lend portfolio securities with a value not exceeding 33 1/3% of its total assets to brokers, dealers, and financial institutions. Borrowers are required continuously to secure their obligations to return securities on loan from a Fund by depositing any combination of short-term government securities, shares of registered and unregistered money market funds and cash as collateral with a Fund. The collateral must be equal to at least 100% of the market value of the loaned securities, which will be marked to market daily. The value of this collateral could decline, causing the Fund to experience a loss. While a Fund’s portfolio securities are on loan, a Fund continues to receive interest on the securities loaned and simultaneously earns either interest on the investment of the collateral or fee income if the loan is otherwise collateralized. A Fund may invest the interest received and the collateral, thereby earning additional income. Loans would be subject to termination by the lending Fund on a four-business days’ notice or by the borrower on a one-day notice. Borrowed securities must be returned when the loan is terminated. Any gain or loss in the market price
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of the borrowed securities that occurs during the term of the loan inures to the lending Fund and that Fund’s shareholders. A lending Fund may pay reasonable finders, borrowers, administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan. A Fund could lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed or prevented from selling the collateral after a loan is made, in recovering the securities loaned or if the Fund incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. Each Fund currently has no intention of lending its portfolio securities.
Portfolio Turnover. The Trust anticipates that each Fund’s annual portfolio turnover will vary. A Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated by the value of the securities purchased or securities sold, excluding all securities whose terms-to-maturity at the time of acquisition were less than 397 days, divided by the average monthly value of such securities owned during the year. Based on this calculation, instruments with remaining terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover rate. Such instruments generally would include futures contracts and options, since such contracts generally have remaining terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days. In any given period, all of a Fund’s investments may have remaining terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days; in that case, the portfolio turnover rate for that period would be equal to zero. However, each Fund’s portfolio turnover rate calculated with all securities whose terms-to-maturity were less than 397 days is anticipated to be unusually high.
High portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales also may result in adverse tax consequences to a Fund’s shareholders resulting from its distributions of increased net capital gains, if any, recognized as a result of the sales. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund’s performance.
Correlation and Tracking Risk
Several factors may affect a Fund's ability to obtain its daily inverse investment objective. Among these factors are: (1) Fund expenses, including brokerage expenses and commissions and financing costs related to derivatives (which may be increased by high portfolio turnover); (2) less than all of the securities in the underlying index being held by a Fund and securities not included in the underlying index being held by a Fund; (3) an imperfect correlation between the performance of instruments held by a Fund, such as other investment companies, including ETFs, futures contracts and options, and the performance of the underlying securities in the cash market comprising an index; (4) bid-ask spreads; (5) a Fund holding instruments that are illiquid or the market for which becomes disrupted; (6) the need to conform a Fund’s portfolio holdings to comply with the Fund’s investment restrictions or policies, or regulatory or tax law requirements; (7) market movements that run counter to a Fund’s investments (which will cause divergence between a Fund and its underlying index over time due to the mathematical effects of seeking an inverse underlying index return); and (8) disruptions and illiquidity in the markets for securities or derivatives held by a Fund.
While index futures and options contracts closely correlate with the applicable indices over long periods, shorter-term deviation, such as on a daily basis, does occur with these instruments. As a result, a Fund’s short-term performance will reflect such deviation from its underlying index.
Even if there is a perfect inverse correlation between a Fund and the inverse return of its underlying index on a daily basis, the symmetry between the changes in the underlying index and the changes in a Fund’s NAV can be altered significantly over time by a compounding effect. For example, if a Fund achieved a perfect inverse correlation with its underlying index on every trading day over an extended period and the level of returns of that index significantly decreased during that period, a compounding effect for that period would result, causing an increase in a Fund’s NAV by a percentage that is somewhat greater than the percentage that the underlying index’s returns decreased. Conversely, if a Fund maintained a perfect inverse correlation with its underlying index over an extended period and if the level of returns of that underlying index significantly increased over that period, a compounding effect would result, causing a decrease of a Fund’s NAV by a percentage that would be somewhat less than the percentage that the underlying index returns increased.
Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds. As discussed in the Prospectus, each Fund has an investment objective to match the inverse of the performance of an underlying index on a given day. Each Fund is subject to all of the correlation risks described in the Prospectus. In addition, there is a special form of correlation risk that derives from each Fund’s daily investment objective. For periods longer than one day, the pursuit of daily investment returns tends to cause the performance of a Fund to be either greater than, or less than, -100% times the performance of a Fund’s underlying index.
A Fund’s return for periods longer than one day is primarily a function of the following:
a) underlying index performance;
b) underlying index volatility;
c) other fund expenses;
d) dividends paid by companies in the underlying index; and
e) period of time.
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The performance for a Fund can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the factors described above. The tables below illustrate the impact of two factors, underlying index volatility and underlying index performance, on a Fund. Underlying index volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns of an index and is calculated as the standard deviation of the natural logarithms of one plus the index return (calculated daily), multiplied by the square root of the number of trading days per year (assumed to be 252). The table shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of underlying index performance and underlying index volatility over a one year period. Assumptions used in the table include: a) no dividends paid by the companies included in the underlying index; b) no fund expenses; and c) borrowing/lending rates of zero percent. If fund expenses were included, the Fund’s performance would be lower than shown.
As shown below, a Fund would be expected to lose 6.04% if its underlying index provided no return over a one year period during which the index experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the underlying index’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one year period widens to approximately 42.9%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in a Fund. For instance, if the underlying index’s annualized volatility is 100%, a Fund would be expected to lose approximately 63.23% of its value, even if the cumulative index return for the year was 0%. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the underlying index such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of a Fund’s underlying index.
In the table below, areas shaded green represent those scenarios where a Fund with the investment objective described will outperform (i.e., return more than) -100% of the performance of the underlying index; conversely, areas shaded red represent those scenarios where a Fund will underperform (i.e., return less than) -100% of the performance of the underlying index.
The table below is intended to underscore the fact that each Fund is designed as a short-term trading vehicle for investors who intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. Each Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For additional information regarding correlation and volatility risk for the Funds, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” in the Prospectus.
One Year
Index
-100%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 60% 148.55% 134.42% 95.28% 43.98% -5.83%
-50% 50% 99.13% 87.77% 56.26% 15.23% -24.77%
-40% 40% 66.08% 56.57% 30.21% -4.08% -37.57%
-30% 30% 42.43% 34.25% 11.56% -17.98% -46.76%
-20% 20% 24.67% 17.47% -2.47% -28.38% -53.72%
-10% 10% 10.83% 4.44% -13.28% -36.52% -58.79%
0% 0% -0.25% -6.04% -22.08% -42.90% -63.23%
10% -10% -9.32% -14.64% -29.23% -48.27% -66.67%
20% -20% -16.89% -21.75% -35.24% -52.72% -69.67%
30% -30% -23.29% -27.84% -40.25% -56.41% -71.94%
40% -40% -28.78% -33.01% -44.63% -59.81% -74.32%
50% -50% -33.55% -37.52% -48.57% -62.60% -76.19%
60% -60% -37.72% -41.51% -51.96% -65.19% -78.12%
The foregoing table is intended to isolate the effect of underlying index volatility and underlying index performance on the return of a Fund. A Fund’s actual returns may be significantly greater or less than the returns shown above as a result of any of factors discussed above or under “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” in the Prospectus.
Investment Restrictions
The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has adopted the following investment policies which are fundamental policies that may not be changed without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. As defined by the 1940 Act, a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund” means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund or (2) 67% or more of the shares present at a shareholders’ meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy.
Each Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy of the Fund. Non-fundamental policies may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.
For purposes of the following limitations, all percentage limitations apply immediately after a purchase or initial investment. Except with respect to borrowing money, if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of the investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such restrictions. If at any time a Fund’s borrowings exceed its limitations due to a decline in net assets, such borrowings will
29

 

be reduced within three days (not including Sundays and holidays), or such longer period as may be permitted by the 1940 Act, to the extent necessary to comply with the one-third limitation.
Each Fund may not:
1. Borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
2. Issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
3. Make loans, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
4. Except for any Fund that is “concentrated” in an industry or group of industries within the meaning of the 1940 Act, purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, 25% or more of a Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry. However, each Fund that tracks an underlying index will only concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent as its underlying index is so concentrated.
5. Purchase or sell real estate, except that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, each Fund may (a) invest in securities or other instruments directly secured by real estate, and (b) invest in securities or other instruments issued by issuers that invest in real estate.
6. Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments issued by persons that purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts; but this shall not prevent a Fund from purchasing, selling and entering into financial futures contracts (including futures contracts on indices of securities, interest rates and currencies), and options on financial futures contracts (including futures contracts on indices of securities, interest rates and currencies), warrants, swaps, forward contracts, foreign currency spot and forward contracts and other financial instruments.
7. Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that a Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act in the disposition of restricted securities or other investment company securities.
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage
Subject to the general supervision by the Trustees, Rafferty is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for each Fund, the selection of broker-dealers to effect the transactions, and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. Rafferty expects that a Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealers, for a commission, in conformity with the 1940 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
When selecting a broker or dealer to execute portfolio transactions, Rafferty considers many factors, including the rate of commission or the size of the broker-dealer’s “spread,” the size and difficulty of the order, the nature of the market for the security, operational capabilities of the broker-dealer and the research, statistical and economic data furnished by the broker-dealer to Rafferty.
In effecting portfolio transactions for a Fund, Rafferty seeks to receive the closing prices of securities that are in line with those of the securities included in a Fund's underlying index and seeks to execute trades of such securities at the lowest commission rate reasonably available. With respect to agency transactions, Rafferty may execute trades at a higher rate of commission if reasonable in relation to brokerage and research services provided to a Fund or Rafferty. Such services may include the following: information as to the availability of securities for purchase or sale; statistical or factual information or opinions pertaining to investment; wire services; and appraisals or evaluations of portfolio securities. Each Fund believes that the requirement to always seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede effective portfolio management and preclude a Fund and Rafferty from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, Rafferty relies upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage and research services received from the broker effecting the transaction.
Rafferty may use research and services provided to it by brokers in servicing a Fund; however, not all such services may be used by Rafferty in connection with a Fund. While the receipt of such information and services is useful in varying degrees and generally would reduce the amount of research or services otherwise performed by Rafferty, this information and these services are of indeterminable value and would not reduce Rafferty’s investment advisory fee to be paid by a Fund.
Purchases and sales of U.S. government securities normally are transacted through issuers, underwriters or major dealers in U.S. government securities acting as principals. Such transactions are made on a net basis and do not involve payment
30

 

of brokerage commissions. The cost of securities purchased from an underwriter usually includes a commission paid by the issuer to the underwriters; transactions with dealers normally reflect the spread between bid and asked prices.
No brokerage commissions are provided for the Funds because they had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
Portfolio Holdings Information
Disclosure of a Fund’s complete holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter in the Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report to Fund shareholders and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-Q. These reports are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, each Fund’s portfolio holdings will be made available on the Funds' website at www.direxioninvestments.com each day the Funds are open for business.
The portfolio composition file (“PCF”), which contains portfolio holdings information and the IOPV, which contains certain information, is made available daily, including to the Funds' service providers to facilitate the provision of services to the Funds and to certain other entities as necessary for transactions in Creation Units. Such entities may be limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) members, subscribers to various fee-based services, investors that have entered into an authorized participant agreement with the Distributor and the transfer agent or purchase Creation Units through a dealer that has entered into such an agreement (“Authorized Participants”), and other institutional market participants that provide information services. Each business day, Fund portfolio holdings information will be provided to the Distributor or other agent for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC and/or through other fee-based services to NSCC members and/or subscribers to the fee-based services, including Authorized Participants, and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading shares of Funds in the secondary market.
Daily access to the PCF file and IOPV is permitted to: (i) certain personnel of service providers that are involved in portfolio management and providing administrative, operational, or other support to portfolio management; (ii) Authorized Participants through NSCC, and (iii) other personnel of the Adviser and the Funds' distributor, administrator, custodian and fund accountant who are involved in functions which may require such information to conduct business in the ordinary course.
From time to time, rating and ranking organizations such as Standard & Poor’s® and Morningstar®, Inc. may request complete portfolio holdings information in connection with rating a Fund. To prevent such parties from potentially misusing the complete portfolio holdings information, a Fund will generally only disclose such information no earlier than one business day following the date of the information. Portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide additional services to the Funds in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC.
In addition, the Funds' Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) may grant exceptions to permit additional disclosure of the complete portfolio holdings information at differing times and with differing lag times to rating agencies and to the parties noted above, provided that (1) a Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so; (2) it is in the best interests of shareholders; (3) the recipient is subject to a confidentiality agreement; and (4) the recipient is subject to a duty not to trade on the nonpublic information. The CCO shall report any disclosures made pursuant to this exception to the Board.
Management of the Trust
The Board of Trustees
The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board”). The Board is responsible for and oversees the overall management and operations of the Trust and the Funds, which includes the general oversight and review of the Funds' investment activities, in accordance with federal law and the law of the State of Delaware, as well as the stated policies of the Funds. The Board oversees the Trust’s officers and service providers, including Rafferty, which is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the Funds based on policies and agreements reviewed and approved by the Board. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Board regularly interacts with and receives reports from senior personnel of service providers, including personnel from Rafferty and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (“USBFS”). The Board also is assisted by the Trust’s independent auditor (who reports directly to the Trust’s Audit Committee), independent counsel and other professionals as appropriate.
Risk Oversight
Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Trust and the Funds, the Board oversees the management of risks relating to the administration and operation of the Trust and the Funds. Rafferty, as part of its responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the Funds, is responsible for day-to-day risk management for the Funds. The Board, in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment performs its risk management oversight directly and, as to certain matters, through
31

 

its committees (described below) and through the Board members who are not “interested persons” of the Funds as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees.”) The following provides an overview of the principal, but not all, aspects of the Board’s oversight of risk management for the Trust and the Funds.
The Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures designed to address risks to the Trust and the Funds. In addition, under the general oversight of the Board, Rafferty and other service providers to the Funds have themselves adopted a variety of policies, procedures and controls designed to address particular risks to the Funds. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks.
The Board also oversees risk management for the Trust and the Funds through review of regular reports, presentations and other information from officers of the Trust and other persons. The Trust’s CCO and senior officers of Rafferty regularly report to the Board on a range of matters, including those relating to risk management. The Board also regularly receives reports from Rafferty and USBFS with respect to the Funds' investments. In addition to regular reports from these parties, the Board also receives reports regarding other service providers to the Trust, either directly or through Rafferty, USBFS or the CCO, on a periodic or regular basis. At least annually, the Board receives a report from the CCO regarding the effectiveness of the Funds' compliance program. Also, on an annual basis, the Board receives reports, presentations and other information from Rafferty in connection with the Board’s consideration of the renewal of each of the Trust’s agreements with Rafferty and the Trust’s distribution plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
The CCO reports regularly to the Board on Fund valuation matters. The Audit Committee receives regular reports from the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm on internal control and financial reporting matters. On at least a quarterly basis, the Independent Trustees meet with the CCO to discuss matters relating to the Funds' compliance program.
Board Structure and Related Matters
Independent Trustees constitute two-thirds of the Board. The Trustees discharge their responsibilities collectively as a Board, as well as through Board committees, each of which operates pursuant to a charter approved by the Board that delineates the specific responsibilities of that committee. The Board has established three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. For example, the Audit Committee is responsible for specific matters related to oversight of the Funds' independent auditors, subject to approval of the Audit Committee’s recommendations by the Board. The members and responsibilities of each Board committee are summarized below.
The Board periodically evaluates its structure and composition as well as various aspects of its operations. The Chairman of the Board is not an Independent Trustee and the Board has chosen not to have a lead Independent Trustee. However, the Board believes that its leadership structure, including its Independent Trustees and Board committees, is appropriate for the Trust in light of, among other factors, the asset size and nature of the Funds, the number of series overseen by the Board, the arrangements for the conduct of the Funds' operations, the number of Trustees, and the Board’s responsibilities. On an annual basis, the Board conducts a self-evaluation that considers, among other matters, whether the Board and its committees are functioning effectively and whether, given the size and composition of the Board and each of its committees, the Trustees are able to oversee effectively the number of portfolios in the complex.
The Trust is part of the Direxion Family of Investment Companies, which is comprised of the 142 portfolios within the Trust, 24 portfolios within the Direxion Funds and no portfolios within the Direxion Insurance Trust. The same persons who constitute the Board also constitute the Board of Trustees of the Direxion Funds and the Direxion Insurance Trust.
The Board holds four regularly scheduled in-person meetings each year. The Board may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone, to address matters arising between regular meetings. During a portion of each in-person meeting, the Independent Trustees meet outside of management’s presence. The Independent Trustees may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone.
The Trustees of the Trust are identified in the tables below, which provide information regarding their age, business address and principal occupation during the past five years including any affiliation with Rafferty, the length of service to the Trust, and the position, if any, that they hold on the board of directors of companies other than the Trust as of the date of this SAI. Each of the Trustees of the Trust also serve on the Board of the Direxion Funds and Direxion Insurance Trust, the other registered investment companies in the Direxion mutual fund complex. Unless otherwise noted, an individual’s business address is 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019.
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Interested Trustees
Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held
with Fund
Term of
Office
and Length
of Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other
Trusteeships/
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past Five
Years
Daniel D. O’Neill(1)
Age: 48
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2008
Managing Director of Rafferty, 1999-present. 166 None.
Eric W. Falkeis(2)
Age: 43
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2014
Chief Operating Officer, since April 2014, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC; formerly, President Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, March 2013 – April 2014; formerly, Senior Vice President, USBFS, September 2007 March 2013; Chief Financial Officer, USBFS, April 2006 March 2013; Vice President, USBFS, 1997-2007; formerly, Chief Financial Officer, Quasar Distributors, LLC (2000-2003).
166 Trustee, Professionally Managed Portfolios
(31 Funds).
Independent Trustees
Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held
with Fund
Term of
Office
and Length
of Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other
Trusteeships/
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past Five
Years
Gerald E. Shanley III
Age: 73
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2008
Retired, Since 2002; Business Consultant, 1985-present; Trustee of Trust Under Will of Charles S. Payson, 1987-present; C.P.A., 1979-present.
166 None.
33

 

Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held
with Fund
Term of
Office
and Length
of Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other
Trusteeships/
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past Five
Years
John A. Weisser
Age: 75
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2008
Retired, Since 1995; Salomon Brothers, Inc., 1971-1995, most recently as Managing Director. 166 Director until December 2016: The MainStay Funds Trust, The MainStay Funds, MainStay VP Fund Series, Mainstay Defined Term Municipal Opportunities Fund; Private Advisors Alternative Strategy Fund; Private Advisors Alternative Strategies Master Fund.
David L. Driscoll
Age: 47
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2014
Partner, King Associates, LLP, since 2004; Board Advisor, University Common Real Estate, since 2012; Principal, Grey Oaks LLP since 2003; Member, Kendrick LLC, since 2006.
166 None.
Jacob C. Gaffey
Age: 68
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2014
Managing Director of Loomis & Co. since 2012; Partner, Bay Capital Advisors, LLC
2008 2012.
166 None.
(1) Mr. O’Neill is affiliated with Rafferty. Mr. O’Neill is the Managing Director of Rafferty and owns a beneficial interest in Rafferty.
(2) Mr. Falkeis is affiliated with Rafferty. Mr. Falkeis is the Chief Operating Officer of Rafferty.
(3) The Direxion Family of Investment Companies consists of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 80 of the 142 funds registered with the SEC, the Direxion Funds which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 18 of the 24 funds registered with the SEC and the Direxion Insurance Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, does not have any funds registered with the SEC.
In addition to the information set forth in the tables above and other relevant qualifications, experience, attributes or skills applicable to a particular Trustee, the following provides further information about the qualifications and experience of each Trustee.
Daniel D. O’Neill: Mr. O’Neill has extensive experience in the investment management business, including as managing director of Rafferty. Mr. O’Neill has been the Managing Director of Rafferty since 1999.
Eric W. Falkeis: Mr. Falkeis has extensive experience in the financial services business. He is a certified public accountant. Prior to joining Rafferty in 2013, Mr. Falkeis was Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of USBFS. USBFS provides fund administration, fund accounting and transfer agency services to registered investment companies and non-registered investment companies. Mr. Falkeis is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Rafferty.
Gerald E. Shanley III: Mr. Shanley has extensive audit experience and spent ten years in the tax practice of an international public accounting firm. He is a certified public accountant and has a JD degree. He has extensive business experience as the president of a closely held manufacturing company, a director of several closely held companies, a business and tax
34

 

consultant and a trustee of a private investment trust. He has served on the boards of several charitable and not for profit organizations. He also has multiple years of service as a Trustee.
John A. Weisser: Mr. Weisser has extensive experience in the investment management business, including as managing director of an investment bank and a director of other registered investment companies. He also has multiple years of service as a Trustee.
David L. Driscoll: Mr. Driscoll has extensive experience with risk assessment and strategic planning as a partner and manager of various real estate partnerships and companies.
Jacob C. Gaffey: Mr. Gaffey has extensive experience with providing investment banking and valuation services to various companies. Mr. Gaffey has been a director and a member of an audit committee of a public company since 2011.
Board Committees
The Trust has an Audit Committee, consisting of Messrs. Weisser, Shanley, Driscoll and Gaffey. The members of the Audit Committee are Independent Trustees. The primary responsibilities of the Trust’s Audit Committee are, as set forth in its charter, to make recommendations to the Board Members as to: the engagement or discharge of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm (including the audit fees charged by the auditors); the supervision of investigations into matters relating to audit matters; the review with the independent registered public accounting firm of the results of audits; and addressing any other matters regarding audits. The Audit Committee met twice during the Trust’s most recent fiscal year.
The Trust also has a Nominating and Governance Committee, consisting of Messrs. Weisser, Shanley, Driscoll and Gaffey each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The primary responsibilities of the Nominating and Governance Committee are to make recommendations to the Board on issues related to the composition and operation of the Board, and communicate with management on those issues. The Nominating and Governance Committee also evaluates and nominates Board member candidates. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Such recommendations should be in writing and addressed to a Fund with attention to the Nominating and Governance Committee Chair. The recommendations must include the following Preliminary Information regarding the nominee: (1) name; (2) date of birth; (3) education; (4) business professional or other relevant experience and areas of expertise; (5) current business and home addresses and contact information; (6) other board positions or prior experience; and (7) any knowledge and experience relating to investment companies and investment company governance. The Nominating and Governance Committee met once during the Trust’s most recent fiscal year.
The Trust has a Qualified Legal Compliance Committee, consisting of Messrs. Weisser, Shanley, Driscoll and Gaffey. The members of the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee are Independent Trustees of the Trust. The primary responsibility of the Trust’s Qualified Legal Compliance Committee is to receive, review and take appropriate action with respect to any report (“Report”) made or referred to the Committee by an attorney of evidence of a material violation of applicable U.S. federal or state securities law, material breach of a fiduciary duty under U.S. federal or state law or a similar material violation by the Trust or by any officer, director, employee or agent of the Trust. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee did not meet during the Trust’s most recent fiscal year.
Principal Officers of the Trust
The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. Unless otherwise noted, an individual’s business address is 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019. As of the date of this SAI, the officers of the Trust, their ages, their business address and their principal occupations during the past five years are as follows:
Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held with
Fund
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in the
Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other Trusteeships/
Directorships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years
Daniel D. O’Neill(1)
Age: 48
Chief
Executive
Officer and
Chief
Investment
Officer
One Year;
Since 2008
Managing Director of Rafferty, 1999-present. 166 N/A
35

 

Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held with
Fund
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in the
Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other Trusteeships/
Directorships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years
Eric W. Falkeis(2)
Age: 43
Principal
Executive
Officer
One Year;
Since 2014
Chief Operating Officer, since April 2014, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC; formerly, President, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, March 2013 – April 2014; formerly, Senior Vice President, USBFS, September 2007 March 2013; Chief Financial Officer, USBFS, April 2006 March 2013; Vice President, USBFS, 1997-2007; formerly, Chief Financial Officer, Quasar Distributors, LLC (2000-2003).
166 Trustee,
Professionally
Managed Portfolios
(31 Funds).
Patrick J. Rudnick
Age: 43
Principal
Financial
Officer and
Assistant
Secretary
One Year;
Since 2010
Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, since March 2013; formerly Vice President, USBFS (2006-2013); formerly, Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (1999-2006).
N/A N/A
Angela Brickl
Age: 40
Secretary One Year;
Since 2011
General Counsel, Rafferty Asset Management LLC, since October 2010; formerly Chief Compliance Officer, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (2012-2016).
N/A N/A
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Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held with
Fund
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in the
Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other Trusteeships/
Directorships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years
Kent Barnes
Age: 48
Chief Compliance Officer One Year;
Since 2016
Director of Compliance, since April 2016, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC; formerly General Counsel – Alternative Investments, USBFS
(2006-2016)
N/A N/A
(1) Mr. O’Neill serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Direxion Funds, Direxion Insurance Trust and Direxion Shares ETF Trust.
(2) Mr. Falkeis serves as a Trustee of the Direxion Funds, Direxion Insurance Trust and Direxion Shares ETF Trust.
(3) The Direxion Family of Investment Companies consists of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 80 of the 142 funds registered with the SEC, the Direxion Funds which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 18 of the 24 funds registered with the SEC and the Direxion Insurance Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, does not have any funds registered with the SEC.
Because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, no Trustee owned Shares of the Funds as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2016.
The following table shows the amount of equity securities owned in the Direxion Family of Investment Companies by the Trustees as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2016:
Dollar Range of Equity Securities Owned: Interested Trustees: Independent Trustees:
  Daniel D.
O’Neill
Eric W.
Falkeis
Gerald E.
Shanley III
John
Weisser
David L.
Driscoll
Jacob C.
Gaffey
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Direxion Family of Investment Companies(1) Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
$0 $1-$10,000 $0 $0
(1) The Direxion Family of Investment Companies consists of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 80 of the 142 funds registered with the SEC, the Direxion Funds which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 18 of the 24 funds registered with the SEC and the Direxion Insurance Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, does not have any funds registered with the SEC.
The Trust’s Trust Instrument provides that the Trustees will not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. However, they are not protected against any liability to which they would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of their office.
No officer, director or employee of Rafferty receives any compensation from the Funds for acting as a Trustee or officer of the Trust. The following table shows the compensation earned by each Trustee for the Trust’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2016:
37

 

Name of Person,
Position
Aggregate
Compensation
From the
Trust(1)
Pension or
Retirement Benefits
Accrued As Part of
the Trust’s
Expenses
Estimated
Annual Benefits
Upon Retirement
Aggregate
Compensation
From the Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies Paid
to the Trustees(2)
Interested Trustees
Daniel D. O’Neill $0 $0 $0 $0
Eric W. Falkeis $0 $0 $0 $0
Independent Trustees
Gerald E. Shanley III $75,000 $0 $0 $100,000
John A. Weisser $75,000 $0 $0 $100,000
David L. Driscoll $60,000 $0 $0 $80,000
Jacob C. Gaffey $60,000 $0 $0 $80,000
(1)
Costs associated with Trustee compensation are allocated across the operational funds based on the net assets of each fund in the Trust.
(2)
For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, Trustees’ fees and expenses in the amount of $270,000 were incurred by the Trust.
Principal Shareholders, Control Persons and Management Ownership
A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a Fund. A control person is a shareholder that owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of a Fund.
Because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, the Funds did not have control persons or principal shareholders and the Trustees and Officers did not own shares of the Funds.
Investment Adviser
Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019, provides investment advice to the Funds. Rafferty was organized as a New York limited liability company in June 1997.
Under an Investment Advisory Agreement (“Advisory Agreement”) between the Trust, on behalf of each Fund, and Rafferty dated August 13, 2008, Rafferty provides a continuous investment program for each Fund’s assets in accordance with its investment objectives, policies and limitations, and oversees the day-to-day operations of each Fund, subject to the supervision of the Trustees. Rafferty bears all costs associated with providing these advisory services and the expenses of the Trustees who are affiliated with or interested persons of Rafferty. The Trust bears all other expenses that are not assumed by Rafferty as described in the Prospectus. The Trust also is liable for nonrecurring expenses as may arise, including litigation to which a Fund may be a party. The Trust also may have an obligation to indemnify its Trustees and officers with respect to any such litigation.
The Advisory Agreement was initially approved by the Trustees (including all Independent Trustees) and Rafferty, as sole shareholder of each Fund in compliance with the 1940 Act. The Advisory Agreement with respect to the Funds will continue in force for an initial period of two years after the date of its approval. The Advisory Agreement is renewable from year to year with respect to each Fund, so long as its continuance is approved at least annually (1) by the vote, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose, of a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Trust; and (2) by the majority vote of either the full Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of a Fund. The Advisory Agreement automatically terminates on assignment and is terminable on a 60-day written notice either by the Trust or Rafferty.
Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, each Fund pays Rafferty a fee at an annualized rate based on a percentage of its average daily net assets of 0.35%.
No advisory fees are provided for the Funds because they had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
Pursuant to a separate Management Services Agreement, Rafferty performs certain administrative services on behalf of the Funds, such as negotiating, coordinating and implementing the Trust’s contractual obligations with the Funds' service providers; monitoring, overseeing and reviewing the performance of such service providers to ensure adherence to applicable contractual obligations; and preparing or coordinating reports and presentations to the Board of Trustees with respect to such service providers as requested or as deemed necessary; and other services that are described in the Management Services Agreement. For these services, the Trust pays to Rafferty a fee at the annual rate of 0.02% of average daily net assets for each of the Funds. This Management Services Fee may be waived under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement that Rafferty has entered into with each Fund. This arrangement may be terminated at any time by the approval of the Board.
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Each Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses. Rafferty has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with each Fund. Under this Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse each Fund for Other Expenses (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses) through September 1, 2018 to the extent that each Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.45% of each Fund’s daily net assets. Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by a Fund only within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated at any time at the discretion of the Board upon notice to the Adviser and without the approval of Fund shareholders. The agreement may be terminated by the Adviser only with the consent of the Board.
Rafferty shall not be liable to the Trust or any shareholder for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its agreement with the Trust or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security.
Pursuant to Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act and Rule 17j-1 thereunder, the Trust, Rafferty and the Funds' distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics. These codes permit portfolio managers and other access persons of a Fund to invest in securities that may be owned by a Fund, subject to certain restrictions.
Portfolio Managers
Paul Brigandi and Tony Ng are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds. An investment trading team of Rafferty employees assists Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng in the day-to-day management of the Funds subject to their primary responsibility and oversight. The Portfolio Managers work with the investment trading team to decide the target allocation of each Fund’s investments and on a day-to-day basis, an individual portfolio trader executes transactions for the Funds consistent with the target allocation. The members of the investment trading team rotate among the various series of the Trust, including the Funds, periodically so that no single individual is assigned to a specific Fund for extended periods of time.
In addition to the Funds, Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng manage the following other accounts as of March 31, 2017:
Accounts Total Number
of Accounts
Total Assets
(In Billions)
Total Number of
Accounts with
Performance
Based Fees
Total Assets
of Accounts
with Performance
Based Fees
Registered Investment Companies 106 $12.4 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0 $ 0 0 $0
Other Accounts 0 $ 0 0 $0
Rafferty manages no other accounts with investment objectives similar to those of the Funds. In addition, two or more funds advised by Rafferty may invest in the same securities but the nature of each investment (long or short) may be opposite and in different proportions. Rafferty ordinarily executes transactions for a Fund “market-on-close,” in which funds purchasing or selling the same security receive the same closing price.
Rafferty has not identified any additional material conflicts between a Fund and other accounts managed by the investment team. However, other actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise in connection with the day-to-day management of a Fund and other accounts. The management of a Fund and other accounts may result in unequal time and attention being devoted to a Fund and other accounts. Rafferty’s management fees for the services it provides to other accounts varies and may be higher or lower than the advisory fees it receives from a Fund. This could create potential conflicts of interest in which the portfolio manager may appear to favor one investment vehicle over another resulting in an account paying higher fees or one investment vehicle out performing another.
The investment team’s compensation is paid by Rafferty. Their compensation primarily consists of a fixed base salary and a bonus. The investment team’s salary is reviewed annually and increases are determined by factors such as performance and seniority. Bonuses are determined by the individual performance of an employee including factors such as attention to detail, process, and efficiency, and are impacted by the overall performance of the firm. The investment team’s salary and bonus are not based on a Fund’s performance and as a result, no benchmarks are used. Along with all other employees of Rafferty, the investment team may participate in the firm’s 401(k) retirement plan where Rafferty may make matching contributions up to a defined percentage of their salary.
Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng did not own any shares of the Funds as of March 31, 2017.
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Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
The Board has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures (“Proxy Policies”) wherein the Trust has delegated to Rafferty the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by a Fund as part of their investment advisory services, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Board. The Proxy Voting Policies of Rafferty are attached as Appendix B. Notwithstanding this delegation of responsibilities, however, each Fund retains the right to vote proxies relating to its portfolio securities. The fundamental purpose of the Proxy Policies is to ensure that each vote will be in a manner that reflects the best interest of a Fund and its shareholders, taking into account the value of a Fund’s investments.
More Information. The actual voting records relating to portfolio securities for future 12-month periods ending June 30 will be available without charge, upon request by calling toll-free, 866-476-7523 or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Fund Administrator, Fund Accounting Agent, Transfer Agent and Custodian
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as the Funds' administrator. The Bank of New York Mellon, 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286, serves as the Funds' transfer agent, and custodian. Rafferty also performs certain administrative services for the Funds.
Pursuant to a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Trust and USBFS, USBFS provides the Trust with administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services). As compensation for these services, the Trust pays USBFS a fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets. USBFS also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
Pursuant to a Fund Accounting Agreement between the Trust and BNYM, BNYM provides the Trust with accounting services, including portfolio accounting services, tax accounting services and furnishing financial reports. As compensation for these accounting services, the Trust pays BNYM a fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets and a minimum annual per fund fee, subject to certain negotiated fee waivers. BNYM also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above, including pricing expenses.
Pursuant to a Custody Agreement, BNYM serves as the custodian of a Fund’s assets. The custodian holds and administers the assets in a Fund’s portfolios. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the custodian receives an annual fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets and certain settlement charges. The custodian also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
Pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Trust and BNYM, BNYM provides the Trust with transfer agency services, which includes Creation and Redemption Unit order processing. As compensation for these transfer agency services, the Trust pays BNYM a fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets and a minimum annual complex fee. BNYM also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above.
No administrative and accounting services fees, custodian fees or transfer agent fees are shown for the Funds because they had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
Distributor
Foreside Fund Services, LLC, located at 3 Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, serves as the distributor (“Distributor”) in connection with the continuous offering of each Fund’s shares. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The Trust offers Shares of the Funds for sale through the Distributor in Creation Units, as described below. The Distributor will not sell or redeem Shares in quantities less than Creation Units. The Distributor will deliver a Prospectus to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of Creation Unit orders placed and confirmations furnished by it. Pursuant to a written agreement, the Adviser pays the Distributor for distribution-related services. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, the Distributor received $877,930 as compensation from Rafferty for distribution services for each series of the Trust. The Funds were not operational as of October 31, 2016, therefore Rafferty did not pay fees for distribution services for the Funds.
The Adviser may pay certain broker-dealers, banks and other financial intermediaries for participating in activities that are designed to make registered representatives and other professionals more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including each Fund, or for other activities such as participating in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems. The Adviser had arrangements to make payments based on an annual fee for its services, as well as based on the average daily assets held by Schwab customers in certain funds managed by the Adviser, for services other than for the educational programs and marketing activities described above, only to Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”). Pursuant to the arrangement with Schwab, Schwab has agreed to promote select funds managed by the Adviser, to Schwab’s customers and not to charge certain of its customers any commissions when those customers purchase or sell shares of those funds. Payments to a broker-dealer or intermediary may create potential conflicts of interest between the broker-dealer or intermediary and its clients. These amounts, which may be significant, are paid by the Adviser from its own resources and not from the assets of funds managed by the Adviser.
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Although a portion of the Adviser’s revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by each Fund, other ETFs advised by the Adviser or other exchange-traded products, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, a Fund or other funds managed by the Adviser.
Distribution Plan
Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, as amended, (the “Rule”) provides that an investment company may bear expenses of distributing its shares only pursuant to a plan adopted in accordance with the Rule. The Trustees have adopted a Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan (“Rule 12b-1 Plan”) pursuant to which each Fund may pay certain expenses incurred in the distribution of its shares and the servicing and maintenance of existing shareholder accounts. The Distributor, as the Funds' principal underwriter, and Rafferty may have a direct or indirect financial interest in the Rule 12b-1 Plan or any related agreement. Pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 Plan, each Fund may pay a fee of up to 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. No Rule 12b-1 fee is currently being charged to the Funds.
The Rule 12b-1 Plan was approved by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Funds. In approving the Rule 12b-1 Plan, the Trustees determined that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Rule 12b-1 Plan will benefit each Fund and its shareholders. The Trustees will review quarterly and annually a written report provided by the Treasurer of the amounts expended under the Rule 12b-1 Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made.
The Rule 12b-1 Plan permits payments to be made by each Fund to the Distributor or other third parties for expenditures incurred in connection with the distribution of Fund shares to investors and the provision of certain shareholder services. The Distributor or other third parties are authorized to engage in advertising, the preparation and distribution of sales literature and other promotional activities on behalf of each Fund. In addition, the Rule 12b-1 Plan authorizes payments by each Fund to the Distributor or other third parties for the cost related to selling or servicing efforts, preparing, printing and distributing Fund prospectuses, statements of additional information, and shareholder reports to investors.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Ernst & Young LLP (“EY”), 220 South Sixth Street, Suite 1400, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, is the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust.
Legal Counsel
The Trust has selected K&L Gates LLP, 1601 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006, as its legal counsel.
Determination of Net Asset Value
A fund’s share price is known as its NAV. Each Fund’s share price (other than the Fixed Income Fund) is calculated as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“Valuation Time”), each day the NYSE is open for business (“Business Day”). The NYSE is open for business Monday through Friday, except in observation of the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. In addition to these holidays, the Bond Market is not open on Columbus Day and Veterans’ Day. The NYSE may close early on the business day before each of these holidays and on the day after Thanksgiving Day. NYSE holiday schedules are subject to change without notice.
The Fixed Income Fund also calculates its NAV as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time each Business Day. However, on days that the bond markets close all day, which currently includes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day (a “Bond Market Holiday”), the Fixed Income Fund does not calculate its NAV, even if the NYSE is open for business. On such days, orders for purchase or redemption will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday. Similarly, on days that the bond markets close early but the NYSE does not (usually at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, and which currently include the Friday before Memorial Day and New Year’s Eve), the Fixed Income Fund treats the portion of the day that the bond markets are closed as a Bond Market Holiday and calculates their NAVs as of the recommended closing time for the bond markets, which may be before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, subject to the discretion of the Adviser. In such instances, orders for purchase or redemption that are received prior to the close of bond markets will receive the NAV calculated at the time of the bond markets closure, whereas orders for purchase or redemption that are received thereafter will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday.
If the exchange or market on which a Fund’s investments are primarily traded closes early, the NAV may be calculated prior to its normal calculation time. Creation/redemption transaction order time cutoffs would also be accelerated. The value
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of a Fund’s assets that trade in markets outside the United States or in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar may fluctuate when foreign markets are open but a Fund is not open for business.
A security listed or traded on an exchange, domestic or foreign, is valued at its last sales price on the principal exchange on which it is traded prior to the time when assets are valued. If no sale is reported at that time, the mean of the last bid and asked prices is used. Securities primarily traded on the NASDAQ Global Market® (“NASDAQ®”) for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ® Official Closing Price (“NOCP”) provided by NASDAQ® each Business Day. The NOCP is the most recently reported price as of 4:00:02 p.m. Eastern Time, unless that price is outside the range of the “inside” bid and asked prices’ in that case, NASDAQ® will adjust the price to equal the inside bid or asked price, whichever is closer. If the NOCP is not available, such securities shall be valued at the last sale price on the day of valuation, or if there has been no sale on such day, at the mean between the bid and asked prices.
When market quotations for options and futures positions held by a Fund are readily available, those positions will be valued based upon such quotations. Securities and other assets for which market quotations are not readily available, or for which Rafferty has reason to question the validity of quotations received, are valued at fair value by procedures as adopted by the Board.
For purposes of determining NAV per share of a Fund, options and futures contracts are valued at the last sales price of the exchange on which they trade. The value of a futures contract equals the unrealized gain or loss on the contract that is determined by marking the contract to the last sale price for a like contract acquired on the day on which the futures contract is being valued. The value of options on futures contracts is determined based upon the last sale price for a like option acquired on the day on which the option is being valued. A last sale price may not be used for the foregoing purposes if the market makes a limited move with respect to a particular instrument.
For valuation purposes, quotations of foreign securities or other assets denominated in foreign currencies are translated to U.S. Dollar equivalents using the net foreign exchange rate in effect at the close of the stock exchange in the country where the security is issued. Short-term debt instruments having a maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value. If the Board determines that the amortized cost method does not represent the fair value of the short-term debt instrument, the investment will be valued at fair value as determined by procedures as adopted by the Board. U.S. government securities are valued at the mean between the closing bid and asked price provided by an independent third party pricing service (“Pricing Service”).
OTC securities held by a Fund will be valued at the last sales price or, if no sales price is reported, the mean of the last bid and asked price is used. The portfolio securities of a Fund that are listed on national exchanges are valued at the last sales price of such securities; if no sales price is reported, the mean of the last bid and asked price is used.
Swaps are valued based upon prices from third party vendor models or quotations from market makers to the extent available.
Dividend income and other distributions are recorded on the ex-distribution date.
Illiquid securities, securities for which reliable quotations or pricing services are not readily available, all other assets not valued in accordance with the foregoing principles or for which pricing information is deemed unreliable, or to the Adviser’s knowledge, does not reflect a significant event occurring in the market, the security or asset will be valued at their respective fair value as determined in good faith by, or under procedures established by, the Trustees, which procedures may include the delegation of certain responsibilities regarding valuation to Rafferty or the officers of the Trust. The officers of the Trust report, as necessary, to the Trustees regarding portfolio valuation determinations. The Trustees, from time to time, will review these methods of valuation and will recommend changes that may be necessary to assure that the investments of a Fund are valued at fair value.
Additional Information Concerning Shares
Organization and Description of Shares of Beneficial Interest
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust and registered investment company. The Trust was organized on April 23, 2008, and has authorized capital of unlimited Shares of beneficial interest of no par value which may be issued in more than one class or series. Currently, the Trust consists of multiple separately managed series. The Board may designate additional series of beneficial interest and classify Shares of a particular series into one or more classes of that series.
All Shares of the Trust are freely transferable. The Shares do not have preemptive rights or cumulative voting rights, and none of the Shares have any preference to conversion, exchange, dividends, retirements, liquidation, redemption, or any other feature. Shares have equal voting rights, except that, in a matter affecting a particular series or class of Shares, only Shares of that series of class may be entitled to vote on the matter. Trust shareholders are entitled to require the Trust to redeem Creation Units of their Shares. The Trust Instrument confers upon the Broad of Trustees the power, by resolution, to alter the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that Shares of the Trust may be individually redeemable. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the stock prices of Shares of the Trust to maintain convenient trading ranges for
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investors. Any such adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits which would have no effect on the net assets of the applicable Fund.
Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual shareholders meeting if the 1940 Act does not require such a meeting. Generally, there will not be annual meetings of Trust shareholders. Trust shareholders may remove Trustees from office by votes cast at a meeting of Trust shareholders or by written consent. If requested by shareholders of at least 10% of the outstanding Shares of the Trust, the Trust will call a meeting of a Fund’s shareholders for the purpose of voting upon the question of removal of a Trustee of the Trust and will assist in communications with other Trust shareholders.
The Trust Instrument disclaims liability of the shareholders of the officers of the Trust for acts or obligations of the Trust which are binding only on the assets and property of the Trust. The Trust Instrument provides for indemnification from the Trust’s property for all loss and expense of any Fund shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. The risk of a Trust shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Funds would not be able to meet the Trust’s obligations and this risk, thus, should be considered remote.
If a Fund does not grow to a size to permit it to be economically viable, the Fund may cease operations. In such an event, investors may be required to liquidate or transfer their investments at an inopportune time.
Book Entry Only System
The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depositary for the Shares. Shares of each Fund are represented by global securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except as provided below, certificates will not be issued for Shares.
DTC has advised the Trust as follows: it is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC was created to hold securities of its participants (“DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE, the AMEX and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (“Indirect Participants”). DTC agrees with and represents to DTC Participants that it will administer its book-entry system in accordance with its rules and by-laws and requirements of law. Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of Shares. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in Shares.
Beneficial owners of Shares are not entitled to have Shares registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificates in definitive form and are not considered the registered holder thereof. Accordingly, each Beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC, the DTC Participant and any Indirect Participant through which such Beneficial owner holds its interests, to exercise any rights of a holder of Shares. The Trust understands that under existing industry practice, in the event the Trust requests any action of holders of Shares, or a Beneficial owner desires to take any action that DTC, as the record owner of all outstanding Shares, is entitled to take, DTC would authorize the DTC Participants to take such action and that the DTC Participants would authorize the Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners acting through such DTC Participants to take such action and would otherwise act upon the instructions of Beneficial owners owning through them. As described above, the Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the owner of all Shares for all purposes. Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of Share holdings of each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Distributions of Shares shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments
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by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants. The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspects of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to Shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of Shares, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange. The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds but certain brokers may make a dividend reinvestment service available to their clients. Brokers offering such services may require investors to adhere to specific procedures and timetables in order to participate. Investors interested in such a service should contact their broker for availability and other necessary details.
Purchases and Redemptions
The Trust issues and redeems Shares of each Fund only in aggregations of Creation Units. The number of Shares of a Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for each Fund and the value of such Creation Unit as of each Fund’s inception were 50,000 and $1,250,000, respectively.
See “Purchase and Issuance of Shares in Creation Units” and “Redemption of Creation Units” below. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of Shares outstanding of any Fund, and may make a corresponding change in the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per Shares price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board for any other reason.
Purchase and Issuance of Creation Units
The Trust issues and sells Shares only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at their NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined above), of an order in proper form.
Creation Units of Shares may be purchased only by or through an Authorized Participant. Such Authorized Participant will agree pursuant to the terms of such Authorized Participant Agreement on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, as the case may be, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Balancing Amount and the transaction fee described below. The Authorized Participant may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Balancing Amount. Investors who are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement, and that therefore orders to purchase Creation Units of Shares may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor.
Creation Units also will be sold only for cash (“Cash Purchase Amount”) for the Funds. Creation Units are sold at their NAV, plus a transaction fee, as described below.
Purchases through the Manual Clearing Process
All Creation Unit purchases of the Funds will be settled outside a clearing process for the Cash Purchase Amount. Purchase orders effected are likely to require transmittal by the Authorized Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the clearing process. Those persons placing orders should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities) by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of the Cash Purchase Amount.
Rejection of Purchase Orders
The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject a purchase order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of any Fund if (a) the purchaser or group of purchasers, upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of any Fund; (b) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as specified by Rafferty and Rafferty has not consented to acceptance of an in-kind deposit that varies from the designated Deposit Securities; (c) acceptance of the purchase transaction order would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (d) the acceptance of the purchase transaction order would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (e) the acceptance of the purchase transaction order would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or Rafferty, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners;
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(f) the value of a Cash Purchase Amount, or the value of the Balancing Amount to accompany an in-kind deposit exceed a purchase authorization limit extended to an Authorized Participant by the custodian and the Authorized Participant has not deposited an amount in excess of such purchase authorization with the custodian by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the Transmittal Date; or (g) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and Rafferty make it impractical to process purchase orders. The Trust shall notify a prospective purchaser of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of purchase transaction orders nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
Redemption of Creation Units
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor on any Business Day. The Trust will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Beneficial owners also may sell Shares in the secondary market, but must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit of Shares. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
Placement of Redemption Orders Outside a Clearing Process
Orders to redeem Creation Units of the Funds outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Authorized Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order for redemption of Creation Units of a Fund to be effected need not be an Authorized Participant, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using a clearing process and that redemption of Creation Units will instead be effected through transfer of Shares directly through DTC or the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities). A redemption order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent's automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Authorized Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day's NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day. The order must be accompanied or preceded by the requisite number of Shares of Funds specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC or the Federal Reserve System to the Custodian by the third Business Day following such Transmittal Date (“DTC Cut-Off Time”); and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement must be properly followed.
The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit of a Fund will consist solely of cash in an amount equal to the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, less the redemption transaction fee described below (“Cash Redemption Amount”).
In certain instances, Authorized Participants may create and redeem Creation Unit aggregations of the same Fund on the same trade date. In this instance, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to any Fund (1) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund’s portfolio securities or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Regular Foreign Holidays
Each Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis of “T” plus three Business Days (i.e., days on which the national securities exchange is open). A Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis other than T plus three in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within three Business Days of receipt of an order in good form is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within normal settlement periods. The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring portfolio securities to redeeming Authorized Participants, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days for the international funds, in certain circumstances. The applicable holidays for certain foreign markets are listed in the table below. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.
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The dates from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 in which the regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets of the below listed countries are as follows:
Australia   Austria   Belgium   Brazil   Canada   Chile   China
January 2
January 26
April 14
April 17
April 25
June 12
December 25
December 26
  January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
June 5
June 15
August 15
October 26
November 1
December 8
December 25
December 26
  April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
May 26
June 5
July 21
August 15
November 1
December 25
December 26
  January 25
February 27
February 28
March 1
April 14
April 21
May 1
June 15
September 7
October 12
November 2
November 15
November 20
December 25
December 29
  January 2
February 20
April 14
May 22
July 3
August 7
September 4
October 9
November 13
December 25
December 26
  January 2
April 14
May 1
June 26
August 15
September 18
September 19
October 9
October 27
November 1
December 8
December 25
  January 2
January 16
January 27
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
February 20
April 3
April 4
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 3
May 29
May 30
July 4
September 4
October 2
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
October 9
November 23
December 25
December 26
    
Colombia   Czech Republic   Denmark   Egypt   Finland   France   Germany
January 9
March 20
April 13
April 14
May 1
May 29
June 19
June 26
July 3
July 20
August 7
August 21
October 16
November 6
November 13
December 8
December 25
  April 14
April 17
May 1
May 8
July 5
July 6
September 28
November 17
December 25
December 26
  April 13
April 14
April 17
May 12
May 25
May 26
June 5
December 25
December 26
  January 1
January 25
April 16
April 17
April 25
May 1
June 25
June 26
July 23
August 31
September 21
November 30
  January 6
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
June 23
December 6
December 25
December 26
  April 14
April 17
May 1
May 8
May 25
June 5
July 14
August 15
November 1
December 25
December 26
  January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
June 5
June 15
October 3
October 31
December 25
December 26
    
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Greece   Hong Kong   Hungary   India   Indonesia   Ireland   Israel
January 6
February 27
April 14
April 17
May 1
June 5
August 15
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 27
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
April 3
April 4
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 29
May 30
October 2
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
December 22
December 25
December 26
  March 15
April 17
May 1
June 5
October 23
December 25
December 26
  January 26
February 24
March 13
March 28
April 4
April 14
May 1
May 10
June 26
August 15
August 17
August 25
October 2
October 19
October 20
December 1
December 25
  January 2
March 28
April 14
April 24
May 1
May 11
May 25
June 1
June 26
June 27
June 28
June 29
June 30
August 17
September 1
September 21
December 1
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 16
February 20
March 17
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 29
June 5
July 4
August 7
August 28
September 4
October 9
October 30
November 23
December 22
December 25
December 26
December 29
  March 12
April 10
April 11
April 12
April 13
April 16
April 17
May 1
May 2
May 30
May 31
August 1
September 20
September 21
September 22
September 29
October 4
October 5
October 8
October 9
October 10
October 11
October 12
    
Italy   Japan   Korea   Malaysia   Mexico   Morocco   The Netherlands
January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
June 2
August 15
December 8
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 3
January 9
March 20
May 3
May 4
May 5
July 17
August 11
September 18
October 9
November 3
November 23
  January 27
January 30
March 1
May 1
May 3
May 5
June 6
August 15
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
October 9
December 20
December 25
December 29
  January 2
January 27
January 30
February 1
February 9
May 1
May 10
June 12
June 26
June 27
August 31
September 1
September 21
October 18
December 1
December 25
  February 6
March 20
April 13
April 14
May 1
November 2
November 20
December 12
December 25
  January 11
May 1
June 26
August 14
August 21
September 1
September 22
November 6
  April 14
April 17
April 27
May 1
May 25
June 5
December 25
December 26
    
New Zealand   Norway   Peru   The Philippines   Poland   Portugal   Russia
January 2
January 3
January 23
January 30
February 6
April 14
April 17
April 25
June 5
October 23
October 25
October 26
  April 12
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 17
May 25
June 5
December 25
December 26
  April 13
April 14
May 1
June 29
July 28
August 30
November 1
December 8
December 25
  January 2
April 13
April 14
May 1
June 12
August 21
August 28
October 31
November 1
November 30
December 25
  January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 3
June 15
August 15
November 1
December 25
December 26
December 29
  April 14
April 17
April 25
May 1
June 13
June 15
August 15
October 5
November 1
December 1
December 8
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 3
January 4
January 5
January 6
February 23
February 24
March 8
May 1
May 8
May 9
June 12
November 6
    
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Singapore   South Africa   Spain   Sweden   Switzerland   Taiwan   Thailand
January 2
January 30
April 14
May 1
May 10
June 26
August 9
September 1
October 18
December 25
  January 2
March 21
April 14
April 17
April 27
May 1
June 16
August 9
September 25
December 25
December 26
  January 6
March 20
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
July 25
August 15
October 12
November 1
November 9
December 6
December 8
December 25
December 26
  January 5
January 6
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 24
May 25
June 6
June 23
November 3
December 25
December 26
  January 2
April 14
April 17
April 24
May 1
May 25
June 5
August 1
September 11
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 25
January 26
January 27
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 27
February 28
April 3
April 4
May 1
May 29
May 30
October 4
October 9
October 10
  January 2
January 3
February 13
April 6
April 13
April 14
May 1
May 5
May 10
July 10
August 14
October 23
December 5
December 11
    
Turkey   United Kingdom
May 1
May 19
June 26
June 27
August 30
August 31
September 1
September 4
  January 2
January 16
February 20
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 29
July 4
August 28
September 4
October 9
November 23
December 22
December 25
December 26
December 29
Redemption
The longest redemption cycle for the international funds is a function of the longest redemption cycles among the countries whose stocks are held by a fund.
Transaction Fees
Transaction fees are imposed as set forth in the table in the Prospectus. Transaction Fees payable to the Trust are imposed to compensate the Trust for the transfer and other transaction costs of a Fund associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units of Shares. There is a fixed and a variable component to the total Transaction Fee. A fixed Transaction Fee is applicable to each creation or redemption transaction, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased or redeemed. In addition, a variable Transaction Fee based upon the value of each Creation Unit also is applicable to each redemption transaction. The Transaction Fee applicable to the redemption of Creation Units will not exceed 2% of the value of the redemption proceeds.
Purchasers of Shares in Creation Units are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust. The purchase transaction fees for in-kind purchases and cash purchases (when available) are listed in the table below. Investors will also bear the costs of transferring securities from the Fund to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. In addition, Rafferty may, from time to time, at its own expense, compensate purchasers of Creation Units who have purchased substantial amounts of Creation Units and other financial institutions for administrative or marketing services.
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units of Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of Shares are issued and sold by the Trust on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the
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Securities Act. For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares, and sells some or all of the Shares comprising such Creation Units directly to its customers; or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether a person is an underwriter for the purposes of the Securities Act depends upon all the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities. Thus, the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter. Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary market transaction), and thus dealing with Shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by section 4(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to Shares are reminded that under Securities Act Rule 153 a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to a national securities exchange member in connection with a sale on the national securities exchange is satisfied by the fact that the Fund’s prospectus is available at the national securities exchange on which the Shares of such Fund trade upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange and not with respect to “upstairs” transactions.
Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes
Dividends and other Distributions
As stated in the Prospectus, each Fund declares and distributes dividends to its shareholders from its net investment income at least annually; for these purposes, net investment income includes dividends, accrued interest, and accretion of OID and market discount, less amortization of market premium and estimated expenses, and is calculated immediately prior to the determination of a Fund’s NAV per share. Each Fund also distributes the excess of its net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss (“short-term gain”), if any, annually but may make more frequent distributions thereof if necessary to avoid federal income or excise taxes. Each Fund may realize net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) and thus anticipates making annual distributions thereof. The Trustees may revise this distribution policy, or postpone the payment of distributions, if a Fund has or anticipates any large unexpected expense, loss or fluctuation in net assets that, in the Trustees’ opinion, might have a significant adverse effect on its shareholders.
Investors should be aware that if shares are purchased shortly before the record date for any dividend or capital gain distribution, the shareholder will pay full price for the shares and receive some portion of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution (with the tax consequences described in the Prospectus).
Taxes
Regulated Investment Company Status. Each Fund is treated as a separate entity for federal tax purposes and intends to qualify for treatment as a RIC. If a Fund so qualifies and satisfies the Distribution Requirement (defined below) for a taxable year, it will not be subject to federal income tax on the part of its investment company taxable income (generally consisting of net investment income, short-term gain, and net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions, all determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain it distributes to its shareholders for that year.
To qualify for treatment as a RIC, a Fund must distribute to its shareholders for each taxable year at least the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (“Distribution Requirement”) and 90% of its net exempt interest income and must meet several additional requirements. For each Fund, these requirements include the following: (1) the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income each taxable year from the following sources (collectively, “Qualifying Income”): (a) dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gains from options, futures, or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in securities or those currencies, and (b) net income from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (“QPTP”) (“Income Requirement”); and (2) at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the value of its total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with those other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount that does not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and that does not represent more than 10% of the issuer’s outstanding voting securities (equity securities of QPTPs being considered voting securities for these purposes), and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets may be invested in (i) securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, (ii) securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers the Fund controls that are determined to be engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or (iii) securities of one or more QPTPs (collectively, “Diversification Requirements”). The Internal Revenue Service (“Service”) has ruled that income from a derivative contract on a commodity index generally is not Qualifying Income.
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Although each Fund intends to satisfy all the foregoing requirements, there is no assurance that a Fund will be able to do so. The investment by a Fund primarily in options and futures positions entails some risk that it might fail to satisfy one or both of the Diversification Requirements. There is some uncertainty regarding the valuation of such positions for purposes of those requirements; accordingly, it is possible that the method of valuation a Fund uses, pursuant to which each of them would expect to be treated as satisfying the Diversification Requirements, would not be accepted in an audit by the Service, which might apply a different method resulting in disqualification of one or more funds.
If a Fund failed to qualify for treatment as a RIC for any taxable year, (1) its taxable income, including net capital gain, would be taxed at corporate income tax rates (up to 35%), (2) it would not receive a deduction for the distributions it makes to its shareholders, and (3) the shareholders would treat all those distributions, including distributions of net capital gain, as dividends (that is, ordinary income, except for the part of those dividends that is “qualified dividend income” (described in the Prospectus) (“QDI”)) if certain holding period and other requirements are met) to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits; those dividends would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction available to corporations under certain circumstances. In addition, the Fund would be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions before requalifying for RIC treatment. However, the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010 (“RIC Mod Act”) provides certain savings provisions that enable a RIC to cure a failure to satisfy any of the Income and Diversification Requirements as long as the failure “is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect” and the RIC pays a deductible tax calculated in accordance with those provisions and meets certain other requirements.
Excise Tax. Each Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax (“Excise Tax”) to the extent it fails to distribute by the end of any calendar year substantially all of its ordinary income for that year and capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of that year, plus certain other amounts.
Income from Foreign Securities. Dividends and interest a Fund receives, and gains it realizes, on foreign securities may be subject to income, withholding, or other taxes imposed by foreign countries and U.S. possessions that would reduce the yield and/or total return on its securities. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate these taxes, however, and many foreign countries do not impose taxes on capital gains in respect of investments by foreign investors.
Gains or losses (1) from the disposition of foreign currencies, including forward currency contracts, (2) on the disposition of each foreign-currency-denominated debt security that are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the dates of acquisition and disposition of the security, and (3) that are attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates that occur between the time a Fund accrues dividends, interest, or other receivables, or expenses or other liabilities, denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects the receivables or pays the liabilities, generally will be treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses will increase or decrease the amount of a Fund’s investment company taxable income to be distributed to its shareholders.
Each Fund may invest in the stock of “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”). A PFIC is any foreign corporation (with certain exceptions) that, in general, meets either of the following tests for a taxable year: (1) at least 75% of its gross income is passive or (2) an average of at least 50% of its assets produce, or are held for the production of, passive income. Under certain circumstances, a Fund will be subject to federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” it receives on the stock of a PFIC or of any gain on its disposition of the stock (collectively, “PFIC income”), plus interest thereon, even if the Fund distributes the PFIC income as a dividend to its shareholders. The balance of the PFIC income will be included in the Fund’s investment company taxable income and, accordingly, will not be taxable to it to the extent it distributes that income to its shareholders. Fund distributions thereof will not be eligible for the maximum federal income tax rates applicable to QDI.
If a Fund invests in a PFIC and elects to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” (“QEF”), then, in lieu of the foregoing tax and interest obligation, the Fund would be required to include in income each taxable year its pro rata share of the QEF’s annual ordinary earnings and net capital gain -- which the Fund probably would have to distribute to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and avoid imposition of the Excise Tax -- even if the Fund did not receive those earnings and gain from the QEF. In most instances it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to make this election because of certain requirements thereof.
Each Fund may elect to “mark to market” its stock in any PFIC. “Marking-to-market,” in this context, means including in gross income each taxable year (and treating as ordinary income) the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the PFIC’s stock over a Fund’s adjusted basis therein as of the end of that year. Pursuant to the election, a Fund also would be allowed to deduct (as an ordinary, not a capital, loss) the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis in PFIC stock over the fair market value thereof as of the taxable year-end, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains with respect to that stock the Fund included in income for prior taxable years under the election. A Fund’s adjusted basis in each PFIC’s stock with respect to which it makes this election would be adjusted to reflect the amounts of income included and deductions taken thereunder.
Derivatives Strategies. The use of derivatives strategies, such as writing (selling) and purchasing options and futures contracts and entering into forward contracts, involves complex rules that will determine for income tax purposes the amount, character, and timing of recognition of the gains and losses a Fund realizes in connection therewith. Gains from the disposition of
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foreign currencies (except certain gains therefrom that may be excluded by future regulations), and gains from options, futures, and forward contracts a Fund derives with respect to its business of investing in securities or foreign currencies, will be treated as Qualifying Income. Each Fund will monitor its transactions, make appropriate tax elections, and make appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any foreign currency, option, futures contract, forward contract, or hedged investment to mitigate the effect of these rules, seek to prevent its disqualification as a RIC, and minimize the imposition of federal income and excise taxes.
Some futures contracts, foreign currency contracts that are traded in the interbank market, and “nonequity” options (i.e., certain listed options, such as those on a “broad-based” securities index)except any “securities futures contract” that is not a “dealer securities futures contract” (both as defined in the Code) and any interest rate swap, currency swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap, or similar agreementin which a Fund invests may be subject to Code section 1256 (collectively “section 1256 contracts”). Section 1256 contracts that a Fund holds at the end of its taxable year must be “marked to market” (that is, treated as having been sold at that time for their fair market value) for federal income tax purposes, with the result that unrealized gains or losses will be treated as though they were realized. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss recognized on these deemed sales, and 60% of any net realized gain or loss from any actual sales of section 1256 contracts, will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and the balance will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. These rules may operate to increase the amount that a Fund must distribute to satisfy the Distribution Requirement (i.e., with respect to the portion treated as short-term capital gain), which will be taxable to its shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them, and to increase the net capital gain a Fund recognizes, without in either case increasing the cash available to it. A Fund may elect not to have the foregoing rules apply to any “mixed straddle” (that is, a straddle, which the Fund clearly identifies in accordance with applicable regulations, at least one (but not all) of the positions of which are section 1256 contracts), although doing so may have the effect of increasing the relative proportion of short-term capital gain (taxable as ordinary income) and thus increasing the amount of dividends it must distribute. Section 1256 contracts also may be marked-to-market for purposes of the Excise Tax.
Code section 1092 (dealing with straddles) also may affect the taxation of options, futures, and forward contracts in which a Fund may invest. That section defines a “straddle” as offsetting positions with respect to actively traded personal property; for these purposes, options, futures, and forward contracts are positions in personal property. Under that section, any loss from the disposition of a position in a straddle may be deducted only to the extent the loss exceeds the unrealized gain on the offsetting position(s) of the straddle. In addition, these rules may postpone the recognition of loss that otherwise would be recognized under the mark-to-market rules discussed above. The regulations under section 1092 also provide certain “wash sale” rules, which apply to transactions where a position is sold at a loss and a new offsetting position is acquired within a prescribed period, and “short sale” rules applicable to straddles. If a Fund makes certain elections, the amount, character, and timing of recognition of gains and losses from the affected straddle positions would be determined under rules that vary according to the elections made. Because only a few of the regulations implementing the straddle rules have been promulgated, the tax consequences to a Fund of straddle transactions are not entirely clear.
If a call option written by a Fund lapses (i.e., terminates without being exercised), the amount of the premium it received for the option will be short-term capital gain. If a Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction with respect to a written call option, it will have a short-term capital gain or loss based on the difference between the premium it received for the option it wrote and the premium it pays for the option it buys. If such an option is exercised and a Fund thus sells the securities or futures contract subject to the option, the premium the Fund received will be added to the exercise price to determine the gain or loss on the sale. If a call option purchased by a Fund lapses, it will realize short-term or long-term capital loss, depending on its holding period for the option. If a Fund exercises a purchased call option, the premium it paid for the option will be added to the basis in the subject securities or futures contract.
If a Fund has an “appreciated financial position” - generally, an interest (including an interest through an option, futures, or forward contract or short sale) with respect to any stock, debt instrument (other than “straight debt”), or partnership interest the fair market value of which exceeds its adjusted basis - and enters into a “constructive sale” of the position, the Fund will be treated as having made an actual sale thereof, with the result that it will recognize gain at that time. A constructive sale generally consists of a short sale, an offsetting notional principal contract, or a futures or forward contract a Fund or a related person enters into with respect to the same or substantially identical property. In addition, if the appreciated financial position is itself a short sale or such a contract, acquisition of the underlying property or substantially identical property will be deemed a constructive sale. The foregoing will not apply, however, to a Fund’s transaction during any taxable year that otherwise would be treated as a constructive sale if the transaction is closed within 30 days after the end of that year and the Fund holds the appreciated financial position unhedged for 60 days after that closing (i.e., at no time during that 60-day period is the Fund’s risk of loss regarding that position reduced by reason of certain specified transactions with respect to substantially identical or related property, such as having an option to sell, being contractually obligated to sell, making a short sale, or granting an option to buy substantially identical stock or securities).
Income from Zero-Coupon and Payment-in-Kind Securities. A Fund may acquire zero-coupon or other securities (such as strips) issued with OID. As a holder of those securities, a Fund must include in its gross income the OID that accrues on the securities during the taxable year, even if it receives no corresponding payment on them during the year. Similarly, a Fund
51

 

must include in its gross income securities it receives as “interest” on payment-in-kind securities. With respect to “market discount bonds” (i.e., bonds purchased at a price less than their issue price plus the portion of OID previously accrued thereon), a Fund may elect to accrue and include in income each taxable year a portion of the bonds’ market discount. Because each Fund annually must distribute substantially all of its investment company taxable income, including any accrued OID and other non-cash income, to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and avoid imposition of the Excise Tax, a Fund may be required in a particular year to distribute as a dividend an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash it actually receives. Those distributions will be made from a Fund’s cash assets or from the proceeds of sales of portfolio securities, if necessary. A Fund may realize capital gains or losses from those sales, which would increase or decrease its investment company taxable income and/or net capital gain.
Income from REITs. A Fund may invest in REITs that (1) hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) or (2) engage in mortgage securitization transactions that cause the REITs to be taxable mortgage pools (“TMPs”) or have a qualified REIT subsidiary that is a TMP. A portion of the net income allocable to REMIC residual interest holders may be an “excess inclusion.” The Code authorizes the issuance of regulations dealing with the taxation and reporting of excess inclusion income of REITs and RICs that hold residual REMIC interests and of REITs, or qualified REIT subsidiaries that are TMPs. Although those regulations have not yet been issued, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Service issued a notice in 2006 (“Notice”) announcing that, pending the issuance of further guidance, the Service would apply the principles in the following paragraphs to all excess inclusion income, whether from REMIC residual interests or TMPs.
The Notice provides that a REIT must (1) determine whether it or its qualified REIT subsidiary (or a part of either) is a TMP and, if so, calculate the TMP’s excess inclusion income under a “reasonable method,” (2) allocate its excess inclusion income to its shareholders generally in proportion to dividends paid, (3) inform shareholders that are not “disqualified organizations” (i.e., governmental units and tax-exempt entities that are not subject to the unrelated business income tax) of the amount and character of the excess inclusion income allocated thereto, (4) pay tax (at the highest federal income tax rate imposed on corporations) on the excess inclusion income allocable to its shareholders that are disqualified organizations, and (5) apply the withholding tax provisions with respect to the excess inclusion part of dividends paid to foreign persons without regard to any treaty exception or reduction in tax rate. Excess inclusion income allocated to certain tax-exempt entities (including qualified retirement plans, individual retirement accounts, and public charities) constitutes unrelated business taxable income to them.
A RIC with excess inclusion income is subject to rules identical to those in clauses (2) through (5) (substituting “who are nominees” for “that are not ‘disqualified organizations’” in clause (3) and inserting “record” after “its” in clause (4)). The Notice further provides that a RIC is not required to report the amount and character of the excess inclusion income allocated to its shareholders that are not nominees, except that (1) a RIC with excess inclusion income from all sources that exceeds 1% of its gross income must do so and (2) any other RIC must do so by taking into account only excess inclusion income allocated to the RIC from a REIT the excess inclusion income of which exceeded 3% of the REIT’s dividends. A Fund will not invest directly in REMIC residual interests, and does not intend to invest in REITs that, to its knowledge, invest in those interests or are TMPs or have a qualified REIT subsidiary that is a TMP.
Taxation of Shareholders.
Basis Election and Reporting. A shareholder’s basis in Shares of a Fund that he or she acquires after December 31, 2011 (“Covered Shares”), will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s default method, which is average basis, unless the shareholder affirmatively elects in writing (which may be electronic) to use a different acceptable basis determination method, such as a specific identification method. The basis determination method a Fund shareholder elects (or the default method) may not be changed with respect to a redemption of Covered Shares after the settlement date of the redemption.
In addition to the requirement to report the gross proceeds from redemptions of shares, each Fund (or its administrative agent) must report to the Service and furnish to its shareholders the basis information for Covered Shares and indicate whether they had a short-term (one year or less) or long-term (more than one year) holding period. Fund shareholders should consult with their tax advisers to decide the best Service-accepted basis determination method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about how the basis reporting law applies to them.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). As mentioned in the Prospectus, under FATCA “foreign financial institutions” (“FFIs”) or “non-financial foreign entities” (“NFFEs”) that are Fund shareholders may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on (1) income dividends, and (2) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds of a redemption of Shares a Fund pays after December 31, 2018. That withholding tax generally can be avoided, however, as discussed below.
An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding by becoming a “participating FFI,” which requires the FFI to enter into a tax compliance agreement with the Service. Under such an agreement, a participating FFI agrees to (1) verify and document whether it has U.S. accountholders, (2) report certain information regarding their accounts to the Service, and (3) meet certain other specified requirements.
The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (“IGAs”) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA; entities in those countries may be required to comply with the terms of the IGA instead of Treasury regulations. An FFI resident in a country that has entered into a Model I IGA with the United States must report to that country’s government (pursuant
52

 

to the terms of the applicable IGA and applicable law), which will, in turn, report to the Service. An FFI resident in a Model II IGA country generally must comply with U.S. regulatory requirements, with certain exceptions, including the treatment of recalcitrant accountholders. An FFI resident in one of those countries that complies with whichever of the foregoing applies will be exempt from FATCA withholding.
An NFFE that is the beneficial owner of a payment from a Fund can avoid FATCA withholding generally by certifying its status as such and, in certain circumstances that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or by providing the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each such owner. The NFFE will report to the Fund or other applicable withholding agent, which will, in turn, report information to the Service.
Those non-U.S. shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted, or deemed compliant categories established by Treasury regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in a Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entity’s status under FATCA to avoid FATCA withholding. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the tax certification rules to avoid backup withholding described above. Foreign investors are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation and the impact thereof on their investment in a Fund.
* * * * *
The foregoing is only a general summary of some of the important federal tax considerations generally affecting the Funds. No attempt is made to present a complete explanation of the federal tax treatment of the Funds' activities, and this discussion is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Accordingly, potential investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers for more detailed information and for information regarding any state, local, or foreign taxes applicable to a Fund and to distributions therefrom.
For federal income tax purposes, a Fund is generally permitted to carry forward a net capital loss in any year to offset net capital gains, if any, during its taxable years following the year of the loss. The carryforward of capital losses realized in taxable years beginning prior to December 23, 2010, however, is limited to an eight-year period following the year of realization. Thereafter, capital losses carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses rather than being considered all short-term as under previous law. A Fund must use losses that do not expire before it uses losses that do expire and a Fund’s ability to utilize capital losses in a given year or in total may be limited. To the extent subsequent net capital gains are offset by such losses, they would not result in federal income tax liability to a Fund and as noted above, would not be distributed as such to shareholders.
Capital Loss Carryforwards. Pursuant to the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, capital losses sustained in future taxable years will not expire and may be carried over without limitation.
Financial Statements
Because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, no financial statements are available for the Funds.
53

 

APPENDIX A
Description of Corporate Bond Ratings
Moody’s Investors Service and Standard and Poor’s are two prominent independent rating agencies that rate the quality of bonds. Following are expanded explanations of the ratings shown in the Prospectus and this SAI.
Moody’s Investors Service Global Long-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody’s global long-term rating scale are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default. Such ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.
Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.
Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.
B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest
Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*
* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.
Moody’s Investors Service National Scale Long-Term Ratings
Moody’ s long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody’s assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).
Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers
B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
A-1

 

Standard and Poor’s Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings*
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on Standard & Poor's analysis of the following considerations: likelihood of paymentcapacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; nature of and provisions of the obligation and the promise we impute; and protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.
Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB: An obligation rated 'BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
BB; B; CCC; CC; and C: Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated 'BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The 'CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but Standard & Poor's expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
C: An obligation rated 'C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.
D: An obligation rated 'D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to 'D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor's does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
*The ratings from 'AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
Moody’s Investors Service Short Term Obligation Ratings
The Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) scale is used to rate US municipal bond anticipation notes of up to three years maturity. Municipal notes rated on the MIG scale may be secured by either pledged revenues or proceeds of a take-out financing received prior to note maturity. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation, and the issuer’s long-term rating is only one consideration in assigning the MIG rating. MIG ratings are divided into three levelsMIG 1 through MIG 3while speculative grade short-term obligations are designated SG.
MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
A-2

 

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
Standard and Poor’s Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings
A Standard & Poor's U.S. municipal note rating reflects Standard & Poor's opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, Standard & Poor's analysis will review the following considerations:Amortization schedulethe larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; andSource of paymentthe more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.
SP-1: Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
SP-2: Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3: Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Moody’s Investors Service Global Short Term Rating Scale
Ratings assigned on Moody’s global short-term rating scale are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default.
P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Standard and Poor’s Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
D: A short-term obligation rated 'D' is in payment default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example, due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D” if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Standard & Poor's assigns "dual" ratings to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature as part of their structure. The first rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second rating addresses only the demand feature. The long-term rating symbols are used for bonds to denote the long-term maturity and the
A-3

 

short-term rating symbols for the put option (for example, 'AAA/A-1+'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, note rating symbols are used with the short-term issue credit rating symbols (for example, 'SP-1+/A-1+').
A-4

 

APPENDIX B
Direxion Shares ETF Trust
Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
Recognizing the increased scrutiny that both institutions and corporations are under, it is important to have corporate governance that appreciates the importance of consistently applied policy guidelines that are aligned with investors’ views on key issues. With this in mind we currently use ISS’s proxy voting service to execute ballots on behalf of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust (collectively, the “Trust”). ISS prepares custom research and votes per their recommendation. If we agree with their recommendation, no action is required. However, we retain the right and ability to override the vote if you disagree with ISS’s vote recommendation.
I. Duty to Vote Proxies
Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty”) views seriously its responsibility to exercise voting authority over securities that are owned by the Trust.
To document that proxies are being voted, ISS (on behalf of the Trust) will maintain a record reflecting when and how each proxy is voted consistent with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 and other applicable regulations. Rafferty will make its proxy voting history and policies and procedures available to shareholders upon request.
II. Guidelines for Voting Proxies
Rafferty generally follows the recommendations of ISS’s proxy voting guidelines as outlined below. Proxy proposals are considered on their own merits and a determination is made as to support or oppose management’s recommendation. Rafferty will typically accept ISS’s recommendations on social issues as it does not have the means to evaluate the economic impact of such proposals, or determine a consensus among shareholders’ social or political viewpoints.
III. Review and Compliance
It is Rafferty’s responsibility to oversee ISS’s proxy voting to ensure compliance and timely reporting to US Bank. Reports are verified monthly through ISS’s Votex website. ISS provides US Bank with the NP-X file covering the period from July 1st through June 30th of the following year. US Bank files the NP-X with the SEC on the Trust’s behalf. These records are maintained for five years and the previous two years proxy voting records can be accessed by contacting US Bank.
Below is a summary outlining ISS’s US Proxy Voting Guidelines.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Voting on Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections
General Recommendation: Generally vote for director nominees, except under the following circumstances:
1. Accountability
Vote against(1) or withhold from the entire board of directors (except new nominees(2), who should be considered case- by-case) for the following:
Problematic Takeover Defenses
Classified Board Structure:
1.1. The board is classified, and a continuing director responsible for a problematic governance issue at the board/committee level that would warrant a withhold/against vote recommendation is not up for election. All appropriate nominees (except new) may be held accountable.
(1) In general, companies with a plurality vote standard use “Withhold” as the contrary vote option in director elections; companies with a majority vote standard use “Against”. However, it will vary by company and the proxy must be checked to determine the valid contrary vote option for the particular company.
(2) A “new nominee” is any current nominee who has not already been elected by shareholders and who joined the board after the problematic action in question transpired. If ISS cannot determine whether the nominee joined the board before or after the problematic action transpired, the nominee will be considered a “new nominee” if he or she joined the board within the 12 months prior to the upcoming shareholder meeting.
B-1

 

Director Performance Evaluation:
1.2. The board lacks accountability and oversight, coupled with sustained poor performance relative to peers. Sustained poor performance is measured by one- and three-year total shareholder returns in the bottom half of a company’s four-digit GICS industry group (Russell 3000 companies only). Take into consideration the company’s five-year total shareholder return and operational metrics. Problematic provisions include but are not limited to:
A classified board structure;
A supermajority vote requirement;
Either a plurality vote standard in uncontested director elections or a majority vote standard with no plurality carve-out for contested elections;
The inability of shareholders to call special meetings;
The inability of shareholders to act by written consent;
A dual-class capital structure; and/or
A nonshareholder-approved poison pill.
Poison Pills:
1.3. The company’s poison pill has a “dead-hand” or “modified dead-hand” feature. Vote against or withhold from nominees every year until this feature is removed;
1.4. The board adopts a poison pill with a term of more than 12 months (“long-term pill”), or renews any existing pill, including any “short-term” pill (12 months or less), without shareholder approval. A commitment or policy that puts a newly adopted pill to a binding shareholder vote may potentially offset an adverse vote recommendation. Review such companies with classified boards every year, and such companies with annually elected boards at least once every three years, and vote against or withhold votes from all nominees if the company still maintains a non-shareholder-approved poison pill; or
1.5. The board makes a material adverse change to an existing poison pill without shareholder approval. Vote case-by-case on all nominees if:
1.6. The board adopts a poison pill with a term of 12 months or less (“short-term pill”) without shareholder approval, taking into account the following factors:
The date of the pill‘s adoption relative to the date of the next meeting of shareholdersi.e. whether the company had time to put the pill on the ballot for shareholder ratification given the circumstances;
The issuer’s rationale;
The issuer’s governance structure and practices; and
The issuer’s track record of accountability to shareholders.
Problematic Audit-Related Practices
Generally vote against or withhold from the members of the Audit Committee if:
1.7. The non-audit fees paid to the auditor are excessive (see discussion under “Auditor Ratification”);
1.8. The company receives an adverse opinion on the company’s financial statements from its auditor; or
1.9. There is persuasive evidence that the Audit Committee entered into an inappropriate indemnification agreement with its auditor that limits the ability of the company, or its shareholders, to pursue legitimate legal recourse against the audit firm.
Vote case-by-case on members of the Audit Committee and potentially the full board if:
1.10. Poor accounting practices are identified that rise to a level of serious concern, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; and material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures. Examine the severity, breadth, chronological sequence, and duration, as well as the company’s efforts at remediation or corrective actions, in determining whether withhold/against votes are warranted.
Problematic Compensation Practices/Pay for Performance Misalignment
In the absence of an Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation ballot item or in egregious situations, vote against or withhold from the members of the Compensation Committee and potentially the full board if:
1.11. There is a significant misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance);
1.12. The company maintains significant problematic pay practices;
1.13. The board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders;
1.14. The company fails to submit one-time transfers of stock options to a shareholder vote; or
1.15. The company fails to fulfill the terms of a burn rate commitment made to shareholders.
B-2

 

Vote case-by-case on Compensation Committee members (or, in exceptional cases, the full board) and the Management Say-on-Pay proposal if:
1.16. The company’s previous say-on-pay received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast, taking into account:
The company's response, including:
Disclosure of engagement efforts with major institutional investors regarding the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Specific actions taken to address the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Other recent compensation actions taken by the company;
Whether the issues raised are recurring or isolated;
The company's ownership structure; and
Whether the support level was less than 50 percent, which would warrant the highest degree of responsiveness.
Unilateral Bylaw/Charter Amendments
1.17. Generally vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by-case) if the board amends the company's bylaws or charter without shareholder approval in a manner that materially diminishes shareholders' rights or that could adversely impact shareholders, considering the following factors:
The board's rationale for adopting the bylaw/charter amendment without shareholder ratification;
Disclosure by the company of any significant engagement with shareholders regarding the amendment;
The level of impairment of shareholders' rights caused by the board's unilateral amendment to the bylaws/charter;
The board's track record with regard to unilateral board action on bylaw/charter amendments or other entrenchment provisions;
The company's ownership structure;
The company's existing governance provisions;
The timing of the board's amendment to the bylaws/charter in connection with a significant business development; and,
Other factors, as deemed appropriate, that may be relevant to determine the impact of the amendment on shareholders.
Unless the adverse amendment is reversed or submitted to a binding shareholder vote, in subsequent years vote case- by-case on director nominees. Generally vote against (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by-case) if the directors:
Classified the board;
Adopted supermajority vote requirements to amend the bylaws or charter; or
Eliminated shareholders' ability to amend bylaws.
1.18. For newly public companies, generally vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by-case) if, prior to or in connection with the company's public offering, the company or its board adopted bylaw or charter provisions materially adverse to shareholder rights, considering the following factors:
The level of impairment of shareholders' rights caused by the provision;
The disclosed rationale for adopting the provision;
The ability to change the governance structure in the future (e.g., limitations on shareholders’ right to amend the bylaws or charter, or supermajority vote requirements to amend the bylaws or charter);
The ability of shareholders to hold directors accountable through annual director elections, or whether the company has a classified board structure; and,
A public commitment to put the provision to a shareholder vote within three years of the date of the initial public offering.
Unless the adverse provision is reversed or submitted to a vote of public shareholders, vote case-by-case on director nominees in subsequent years.
B-3

 

Governance Failures
Under extraordinary circumstances, vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board, due to:
1.19. Material failures of governance, stewardship, risk oversight(3), or fiduciary responsibilities at the company;
1.20. Failure to replace management as appropriate; or
1.21. Egregious actions related to a director’s service on other boards that raise substantial doubt about his or her ability to effectively oversee management and serve the best interests of shareholders at any company.
2. Responsiveness
Vote case-by-case on individual directors, committee members, or the entire board of directors as appropriate if:
2.1. The board failed to act on a shareholder proposal that received the support of a majority of the shares cast in the previous year. Factors that will be considered are:
Disclosed outreach efforts by the board to shareholders in the wake of the vote;
Rationale provided in the proxy statement for the level of implementation;
The subject matter of the proposal;
The level of support for and opposition to the resolution in past meetings;
Actions taken by the board in response to the majority vote and its engagement with shareholders;
The continuation of the underlying issue as a voting item on the ballot (as either shareholder or management proposals); and
Other factors as appropriate.
2.2. The board failed to act on takeover offers where the majority of shares are tendered;
2.3. At the previous board election, any director received more than 50 percent withhold/against votes of the shares cast and the company has failed to address the issue(s) that caused the high withhold/against vote;
2.4. The board implements an advisory vote on executive compensation on a less frequent basis than the frequency that received the majority of votes cast at the most recent shareholder meeting at which shareholders voted on the say-on-pay frequency; or
2.5. The board implements an advisory vote on executive compensation on a less frequent basis than the frequency that received a plurality, but not a majority, of the votes cast at the most recent shareholder meeting at which shareholders voted on the say-on-pay frequency, taking into account:
The board's rationale for selecting a frequency that is different from the frequency that received a plurality;
The company's ownership structure and vote results;
ISS' analysis of whether there are compensation concerns or a history of problematic compensation practices; and
The previous year's support level on the company's say-on-pay proposal.
3. Composition
Attendance at Board and Committee Meetings:
3.1. Generally vote against or withhold from directors (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by- case(4)) who attend less than 75 percent of the aggregate of their board and committee meetings for the period for which they served, unless an acceptable reason for absences is disclosed in the proxy or another SEC filing. Acceptable reasons for director absences are generally limited to the following:
Medical issues/illness;
Family emergencies; and
Missing only one meeting (when the total of all meetings is three or fewer).
3.2. If the proxy disclosure is unclear and insufficient to determine whether a director attended at least 75 percent of the aggregate of his/her board and committee meetings during his/her period of service, vote against or withhold from the director(s) in question.
(3) Examples of failure of risk oversight include, but are not limited to: bribery; large or serial fines or sanctions from regulatory bodies; significant adverse legal judgments or settlements; hedging of company stock; or significant pledging of company stock.
(4) For new nominees only, schedule conflicts due to commitments made prior to their appointment to the board are considered if disclosed in the proxy or another SEC filing.
B-4

 

Overboarded Directors:
Vote against or withhold from individual directors who:
3.3. Sit on more than six public company boards; with respect to annual meetings on or after Feb. 1, 2017(5), sit on more than five public company boards; or
3.4. Are CEOs of public companies who sit on the boards of more than two public companies besides their own — withhold only at their outside boards(6).
4. Independence
Vote against or withhold from Inside Directors and Affiliated Outside Directors (per the Categorization of Directors) when:
4.1. The inside or affiliated outside director serves on any of the three key committees: audit, compensation, or nominating;
4.2. The company lacks an audit, compensation, or nominating committee so that the full board functions as that committee;
4.3. The company lacks a formal nominating committee, even if the board attests that the independent directors fulfill the functions of such a committee; or
4.4. Independent directors make up less than a majority of the directors.
Independent Chair (Separate Chair/CEO)
General Recommendation: Generally vote for shareholder proposals requiring that the chairman’s position be filled by an independent director, taking into consideration the following:
The scope of the proposal;
The company's current board leadership structure;
The company's governance structure and practices;
Company performance; and
Any other relevant factors that may be applicable.
Regarding the scope of the proposal, consider whether the proposal is precatory or binding and whether the proposal is seeking an immediate change in the chairman role or the policy can be implemented at the next CEO transition.
Under the review of the company's board leadership structure, ISS may support the proposal under the following scenarios absent a compelling rationale: the presence of an executive or non-independent chair in addition to the CEO; a recent recombination of the role of CEO and chair; and/or departure from a structure with an independent chair. ISS will also consider any recent transitions in board leadership and the effect such transitions may have on independent board leadership as well as the designation of a lead director role.
When considering the governance structure, ISS will consider the overall independence of the board, the independence of key committees, the establishment of governance guidelines, board tenure and its relationship to CEO tenure, and any other factors that may be relevant. Any concerns about a company's governance structure will weigh in favor of support for the proposal.
The review of the company's governance practices may include, but is not limited to poor compensation practices, material failures of governance and risk oversight, related-party transactions or other issues putting director independence at risk, corporate or management scandals, and actions by management or the board with potential or realized negative impact on shareholders. Any such practices may suggest a need for more independent oversight at the company thus warranting support of the proposal.
ISS' performance assessment will generally consider one-, three, and five-year TSR compared to the company's peers and the market as a whole. While poor performance will weigh in favor of the adoption of an independent chair policy, strong performance over the long-term will be considered a mitigating factor when determining whether the proposed leadership change warrants support.
(5) This policy change includes a 1-year transition period to allow time for affected directors to address necessary changes if they wish.
(6) Although all of a CEO’s subsidiary boards will be counted as separate boards, ISS will not recommend a withhold vote from the CEO of a parent company board or any of the controlled (>50 percent ownership) subsidiaries of that parent, but may do so at subsidiaries that are less than 50 percent controlled and boards outside the parent/subsidiary relationships.
B-5

 

Proxy Access
General Recommendation: Generally vote for management and shareholder proposals for proxy access with the following provisions:
Ownership threshold: maximum requirement not more than three percent (3%) of the voting power;
Ownership duration: maximum requirement not longer than three (3) years of continuous ownership for each member of the nominating group;
Aggregation: minimal or no limits on the number of shareholders permitted to form a nominating group;
Cap: cap on nominees of generally twenty-five percent (25%) of the board.
Review for reasonableness any other restrictions on the right of proxy access.
Generally vote against proposals that are more restrictive than these guidelines.
Proxy Contests/Proxy Access Voting for Director Nominees in Contested Elections
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on the election of directors in contested elections, considering the following factors:
Long-term financial performance of the company relative to its industry;
Management’s track record;
Background to the contested election;
Nominee qualifications and any compensatory arrangements;
Strategic plan of dissident slate and quality of the critique against management;
Likelihood that the proposed goals and objectives can be achieved (both slates); and
Stock ownership positions.
In the case of candidates nominated pursuant to proxy access, vote case-by-case considering any applicable factors listed above or additional factors which may be relevant, including those that are specific to the company, to the nominee(s) and/or to the nature of the election (such as whether or not there are more candidates than board seats).
CAPITAL/RESTRUCTURING
Common Stock Authorization
General Recommendation: Vote for proposals to increase the number of authorized common shares where the primary purpose of the increase is to issue shares in connection with a transaction on the same ballot that warrants support.
Vote against proposals at companies with more than one class of common stock to increase the number of authorized shares of the class of common stock that has superior voting rights.
Vote against proposals to increase the number of authorized common shares if a vote for a reverse stock split on the same ballot is warranted despite the fact that the authorized shares would not be reduced proportionally.
Vote case-by-case on all other proposals to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance. Take into account company-specific factors that include, at a minimum, the following:
Past Board Performance:
The company's use of authorized shares during the last three years
The Current Request:
Disclosure in the proxy statement of the specific purposes of the proposed increase;
Disclosure in the proxy statement of specific and severe risks to shareholders of not approving the request; and
The dilutive impact of the request as determined relative to an allowable increase calculated by ISS (typically 100 percent of existing authorized shares) that reflects the company's need for shares and total shareholder returns.
ISS will apply the relevant allowable increase below to requests to increase common stock that are for general corporate purposes (or to the general corporate purposes portion of a request that also includes a specific need):
A. Most companies: 100 percent of existing authorized shares.
B. Companies with less than 50 percent of existing authorized shares either outstanding or reserved for issuance: 50 percent of existing authorized shares.
C. Companies with one- and three-year total shareholder returns (TSRs) in the bottom 10 percent of the U.S. market as of the end of the calendar quarter that is closest to their most recent fiscal year end: 50 percent of existing authorized shares.
D. Companies at which both conditions (B and C) above are both present: 25 percent of existing authorized shares.
B-6

 

If there is an acquisition, private placement, or similar transaction on the ballot (not including equity incentive plans) that ISS is recommending FOR, the allowable increase will be the greater of (i) twice the amount needed to support the transactions on the ballot, and (ii) the allowable increase as calculated above.
Mergers and Acquisitions
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on mergers and acquisitions. Review and evaluate the merits and drawbacks of the proposed transaction, balancing various and sometimes countervailing factors including:
Valuation - Is the value to be received by the target shareholders (or paid by the acquirer) reasonable? While the fairness opinion may provide an initial starting point for assessing valuation reasonableness, emphasis is placed on the offer premium, market reaction and strategic rationale.
Market reaction - How has the market responded to the proposed deal? A negative market reaction should cause closer scrutiny of a deal.
Strategic rationale - Does the deal make sense strategically? From where is the value derived? Cost and revenue synergies should not be overly aggressive or optimistic, but reasonably achievable. Management should also have a favorable track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions.
Negotiations and process - Were the terms of the transaction negotiated at arm's-length? Was the process fair and equitable? A fair process helps to ensure the best price for shareholders. Significant negotiation "wins" can also signify the deal makers' competency. The comprehensiveness of the sales process (e.g., full auction, partial auction, no auction) can also affect shareholder value.
Conflicts of interest - Are insiders benefiting from the transaction disproportionately and inappropriately as compared to non-insider shareholders? As the result of potential conflicts, the directors and officers of the company may be more likely to vote to approve a merger than if they did not hold these interests. Consider whether these interests may have influenced these directors and officers to support or recommend the merger. The CIC figure presented in the "ISS Transaction Summary" section of this report is an aggregate figure that can in certain cases be a misleading indicator of the true value transfer from shareholders to insiders. Where such figure appears to be excessive, analyze the underlying assumptions to determine whether a potential conflict exists.
Governance - Will the combined company have a better or worse governance profile than the current governance profiles of the respective parties to the transaction? If the governance profile is to change for the worse, the burden is on the company to prove that other issues (such as valuation) outweigh any deterioration in governance.
COMPENSATION
Executive Pay Evaluation
Underlying all evaluations are five global principles that most investors expect corporations to adhere to in designing and administering executive and director compensation programs:
1. Maintain appropriate pay-for-performance alignment, with emphasis on long-term shareholder value: This principle encompasses overall executive pay practices, which must be designed to attract, retain, and appropriately motivate the key employees who drive shareholder value creation over the long term. It will take into consideration, among other factors, the link between pay and performance; the mix between fixed and variable pay; performance goals; and equity-based plan costs;
2. Avoid arrangements that risk “pay for failure”: This principle addresses the appropriateness of long or indefinite contracts, excessive severance packages, and guaranteed compensation;
3. Maintain an independent and effective compensation committee: This principle promotes oversight of executive pay programs by directors with appropriate skills, knowledge, experience, and a sound process for compensation decision-making (e.g., including access to independent expertise and advice when needed);
4. Provide shareholders with clear, comprehensive compensation disclosures: This principle underscores the importance of informative and timely disclosures that enable shareholders to evaluate executive pay practices fully and fairly;
5. Avoid inappropriate pay to non-executive directors: This principle recognizes the interests of shareholders in ensuring that compensation to outside directors does not compromise their independence and ability to make appropriate judgments in overseeing managers’ pay and performance. At the market level, it may incorporate a variety of generally accepted best practices.
Advisory Votes on Executive CompensationManagement Proposals (Management Say-on- Pay)
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on ballot items related to executive pay and practices, as well as certain aspects of outside director compensation.
Vote against Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation (Management Say-on-PayMSOP) if:
There is a significant misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance);
B-7

 

The company maintains significant problematic pay practices;
The board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders.
Vote against or withhold from the members of the Compensation Committee and potentially the full board if:
There is no MSOP on the ballot, and an against vote on an MSOP is warranted due to pay for performance misalignment, problematic pay practices, or the lack of adequate responsiveness on compensation issues raised previously, or a combination thereof;
The board fails to respond adequately to a previous MSOP proposal that received less than 70 percent support of votes cast;
The company has recently practiced or approved problematic pay practices, including option repricing or option backdating; or
The situation is egregious.
Primary Evaluation Factors for Executive Pay
Pay-for-Performance Evaluation
ISS annually conducts a pay-for-performance analysis to identify strong or satisfactory alignment between pay and performance over a sustained period. With respect to companies in the Russell 3000 or Russell 3000E Indices(7), this analysis considers the following:
1. Peer Group(8) Alignment:
The degree of alignment between the company's annualized TSR rank and the CEO's annualized total pay rank within a peer group, each measured over a three-year period.
The multiple of the CEO's total pay relative to the peer group median.
2. Absolute Alignment(9) the absolute alignment between the trend in CEO pay and company TSR over the prior five fiscal years i.e., the difference between the trend in annual pay changes and the trend in annualized TSR during the period.
If the above analysis demonstrates significant unsatisfactory long-term pay-for-performance alignment or, in the case of companies outside the Russell indices, misaligned pay and performance are otherwise suggested, our analysis may include any of the following qualitative factors, as relevant to evaluating how various pay elements may work to encourage or to undermine long-term value creation and alignment with shareholder interests:
The ratio of performance- to time-based equity awards;
The overall ratio of performance-based compensation;
The completeness of disclosure and rigor of performance goals;
The company's peer group benchmarking practices;
Actual results of financial/operational metrics, such as growth in revenue, profit, cash flow, etc., both absolute and relative to peers;
Special circumstances related to, for example, a new CEO in the prior FY or anomalous equity grant practices (e.g. bi-annual awards);
Realizable pay(10) compared to grant pay; and
Any other factors deemed relevant.
Problematic Pay Practices
The focus is on executive compensation practices that contravene the global pay principles, including:
Problematic practices related to non-performance-based compensation elements;
Incentives that may motivate excessive risk-taking; and
Options Backdating.
(7) The Russell 3000E Index includes approximately 4,000 of the largest U.S. equity securities.
(8) The revised peer group is generally comprised of 14-24 companies that are selected using market cap, revenue (or assets for certain financial firms), GICS industry group, and company's selected peers' GICS industry group, with size constraints, via a process designed to select peers that are comparable to the subject company in terms of revenue/assets and industry, and also within a market cap bucket that is reflective of the company's. For Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels companies, market cap is the only size determinant.
(9) Only Russell 3000 Index companies are subject to the Absolute Alignment analysis.
(10) ISS research reports include realizable pay for S&P1500 companies.
B-8

 

Problematic Pay Practices related to Non-Performance-Based Compensation Elements
Pay elements that are not directly based on performance are generally evaluated case-by-case considering the context of a company's overall pay program and demonstrated pay-for-performance philosophy. Please refer to ISS' Compensation FAQ document for detail on specific pay practices that have been identified as potentially problematic and may lead to negative recommendations if they are deemed to be inappropriate or unjustified relative to executive pay best practices. The list below highlights the problematic practices that carry significant weight in this overall consideration and may result in adverse vote recommendations:
Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/SARS without prior shareholder approval (including cash buyouts and voluntary surrender of underwater options);
Excessive perquisites or tax gross-ups, including any gross-up related to a secular trust or restricted stock vesting;
New or extended agreements that provide for:
CIC payments exceeding 3 times base salary and average/target/most recent bonus;
CIC severance payments without involuntary job loss or substantial diminution of duties ("single" or "modified single" triggers);
CIC payments with excise tax gross-ups (including "modified" gross-ups);
Insufficient executive compensation disclosure by externally- managed issuers (EMIs) such that a reasonable assessment of pay programs and practices applicable to the EMI's executives is not possible.
Incentives that may Motivate Excessive Risk-Taking
Multi-year guaranteed bonuses;
A single or common performance metric used for short- and long-term plans;
Lucrative severance packages;
High pay opportunities relative to industry peers;
Disproportionate supplemental pensions; or
Mega annual equity grants that provide unlimited upside with no downside risk.
Factors that potentially mitigate the impact of risky incentives include rigorous claw-back provisions and robust stock ownership/holding guidelines.
Options Backdating
The following factors should be examined case-by-case to allow for distinctions to be made between “sloppy” plan administration versus deliberate action or fraud:
Reason and motive for the options backdating issue, such as inadvertent vs. deliberate grant date changes;
Duration of options backdating;
Size of restatement due to options backdating;
Corrective actions taken by the board or compensation committee, such as canceling or re-pricing backdated options, the recouping of option gains on backdated grants; and
Adoption of a grant policy that prohibits backdating, and creates a fixed grant schedule or window period for equity grants in the future.
Compensation Committee Communications and Responsiveness
Consider the following factors case-by-case when evaluating ballot items related to executive pay on the board’s responsiveness to investor input and engagement on compensation issues:
Failure to respond to majority-supported shareholder proposals on executive pay topics; or
Failure to adequately respond to the company's previous say-on-pay proposal that received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast, taking into account:
The company's response, including:
Disclosure of engagement efforts with major institutional investors regarding the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Specific actions taken to address the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Other recent compensation actions taken by the company;
Whether the issues raised are recurring or isolated;
The company's ownership structure; and
Whether the support level was less than 50 percent, which would warrant the highest degree of responsiveness.
B-9

 

Equity-Based and Other Incentive Plans
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on certain equity-based compensation plans(11) depending on a combination of certain plan features and equity grant practices, where positive factors may counterbalance negative factors, and vice versa, as evaluated using an "equity plan scorecard" (EPSC) approach with three pillars:
Plan Cost: The total estimated cost of the company’s equity plans relative to industry/market cap peers, measured by the company's estimated Shareholder Value Transfer (SVT) in relation to peers and considering both:
SVT based on new shares requested plus shares remaining for future grants, plus outstanding unvested/unexercised grants; and
SVT based only on new shares requested plus shares remaining for future grants.
Plan Features:
Automatic single-triggered award vesting upon a change in control (CIC);
Discretionary vesting authority;
Liberal share recycling on various award types;
Lack of minimum vesting period for grants made under the plan.
Grant Practices:
The company’s three year burn rate relative to its industry/market cap peers;
Vesting requirements in most recent CEO equity grants (3-year look-back);
The estimated duration of the plan (based on the sum of shares remaining available and the new shares requested, divided by the average annual shares granted in the prior three years);
The proportion of the CEO's most recent equity grants/awards subject to performance conditions;
Whether the company maintains a claw-back policy;
Whether the company has established post exercise/vesting share-holding requirements.
Generally vote against the plan proposal if the combination of above factors indicates that the plan is not, overall, in shareholders' interests, or if any of the following egregious factors apply:
Awards may vest in connection with a liberal change-of-control definition;
The plan would permit repricing or cash buyout of underwater options without shareholder approval (either by expressly permitting it for NYSE and Nasdaq listed companies -- or by not prohibiting it when the company has a history of repricing for non-listed companies);
The plan is a vehicle for problematic pay practices or a significant pay-for-performance disconnect under certain circumstances; or
Any other plan features are determined to have a significant negative impact on shareholder interests.
SOCIAL/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS)
Global Approach
Issues covered under the policy include a wide range of topics, including consumer and product safety, environment and energy, labor standards and human rights, workplace and board diversity, and corporate political issues. While a variety of factors goes into each analysis, the overall principle guiding all vote recommendations focuses on how the proposal may enhance or protect shareholder value in either the short or long term.
General Recommendation: Generally vote case-by-case, taking into consideration whether implementation of the proposal is likely to enhance or protect shareholder value, and in addition the following will also be considered:
If the issues presented in the proposal are more appropriately or effectively dealt with through legislation or government regulation;
If the company has already responded in an appropriate and sufficient manner to the issue(s) raised in the proposal;
Whether the proposal's request is unduly burdensome (scope or timeframe) or overly prescriptive;
The company's approach compared with any industry standard practices for addressing the issue(s) raised by the proposal;
If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether or not reasonable and sufficient
information is currently available to shareholders from the company or from other publicly available sources; and
If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether or not implementation would reveal proprietary or confidential information that could place the company at a competitive disadvantage.
(11)
Proposals evaluated under the EPSC policy generally include those to approve or amend (1) stock option plans for employees and/or employees and directors, (2) restricted stock plans for employees and/or employees and directors, and (3) omnibus stock incentive plans for employees and/or employees and directors.
B-10

 

Climate Change/Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
General Recommendation: Generally vote for resolutions requesting that a company disclose information on the risks related to climate change on its operations and investments, such as financial, physical, or regulatory risks, considering:
Whether the company already provides current, publicly-available information on the impact that climate change may have on the company as well as associated company policies and procedures to address related risks and/or opportunities;
The company’s level of disclosure is at least comparable to that of industry peers; and
There are no significant controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company’s environmental performance.
Generally vote for proposals requesting a report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from company operations and/or products and operations, unless:
The company already discloses current, publicly-available information on the impacts that GHG emissions may have on the company as well as associated company policies and procedures to address related risks and/or opportunities;
The company's level of disclosure is comparable to that of industry peers; and
There are no significant, controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company's GHG emissions.
Vote case-by-case on proposals that call for the adoption of GHG reduction goals from products and operations, taking into account:
Whether the company provides disclosure of year-over-year GHG emissions performance data;
Whether company disclosure lags behind industry peers;
The company's actual GHG emissions performance;
The company's current GHG emission policies, oversight mechanisms, and related initiatives; and
Whether the company has been the subject of recent, significant violations, fines, litigation, or controversy related to GHG emissions.
Board Diversity
General Recommendation: Generally vote for requests for reports on a company's efforts to diversify the board, unless:
The gender and racial minority representation of the company’s board is reasonably inclusive in relation to companies of similar size and business; and
The board already reports on its nominating procedures and gender and racial minority initiatives on the board and within the company.
Vote case-by-case on proposals asking a company to increase the gender and racial minority representation on its board, taking into account:
The degree of existing gender and racial minority diversity on the company’s board and among its executive officers;
The level of gender and racial minority representation that exists at the company’s industry peers;
The company’s established process for addressing gender and racial minority board representation;
Whether the proposal includes an overly prescriptive request to amend nominating committee charter language;
The independence of the company’s nominating committee;
Whether the company uses an outside search firm to identify potential director nominees; and
Whether the company has had recent controversies, fines, or litigation regarding equal employment practices.
Sustainability Reporting
General Recommendation: Generally vote for proposals requesting that a company report on its policies, initiatives, and oversight mechanisms related to social, economic, and environmental sustainability, unless:
The company already discloses similar information through existing reports or policies such as an environment, health, and safety (EHS) report; a comprehensive code of corporate conduct; and/or a diversity report; or
The company has formally committed to the implementation of a reporting program based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines or a similar standard within a specified time frame.
B-11

 

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Compensation-Related Proposals
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on proposals to link, or report on linking, executive compensation to sustainability (environmental and social) criteria, considering:
Whether the company has significant and/or persistent controversies or regulatory violations regarding social and/or environmental issues;
Whether the company has management systems and oversight mechanisms in place regarding its social and environmental performance;
The degree to which industry peers have incorporated similar non-financial performance criteria in their executive compensation practices; and
The company's current level of disclosure regarding its environmental and social performance.
This document and all of the information contained in it, including without limitation all text, data, graphs, and charts (collectively, the "Information") is the property of Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), its subsidiaries, or, in some cases third party suppliers.
The Information has not been submitted to, nor received approval from, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or any other regulatory body. None of the Information constitutes an offer to sell (or a solicitation of a n offer to buy), or a promotion or recommendation of, any security, financial product or other investment vehicle or any trading strategy, and ISS does not endorse, approve, or otherwise express any opinion regarding any issuer, securities, financial products or instruments or trading strategies.
The user of the Information assumes the entire risk of any use it may make or permit to be made of the Information.
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B-12


Direxion Shares ETF Trust
Prospectus
1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor New York, New York 10019 866-476-7523
www.direxioninvestments.com
2X Bull Funds
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares
April 26, 2017
The shares offered in this prospectus (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”), upon commencement of operations, will be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc.
The Funds seek daily leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. Each Fund attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to two times the performance of its underlying index. The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Investors should note that:
(1) The Funds pursue daily leveraged investment objectives, which means that the Funds are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Funds magnify the performance of their underlying index.
(2) The pursuit of daily investment objectives means that the return of a Fund for a period longer than a full trading day will be the product of the series of daily leveraged returns for each trading day during the relevant period. As a consequence, especially in periods of market volatility, the volatility of the underlying index may affect a Fund’s return as much, or more than, the return of the underlying index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. During periods of high volatility, the Funds may not perform as expected and the Funds may have losses when an investor may have expected gains if the Funds are held for a period that is different than one trading day.
The Funds are not suitable for all investors. The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Investors in the Funds should:
(a) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage;
(b) understand the consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results; and
(c) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments.
Investors who do not understand the Funds or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments should not buy the Funds.
There is no assurance that any Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
If a Fund’s underlying index moves more than 50% on a given trading day in a direction adverse to a Fund, a Fund’s investors would lose all of their money. The Funds’ investment adviser, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, will attempt to position a Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not lose more than 90% of its net asset value on a given trading day. The cost of such downside protection will be limitations on a Fund’s gains. As a consequence, a Fund’s portfolio may not be responsive to underlying index movements beyond 45% on a given trading day, whether that movement is favorable or adverse to a Fund. For example, if a Fund’s underlying index was to gain 50%, that Fund might be limited to a daily gain of 90%, which corresponds to 200% of an underlying index gain of 45%, rather than 200% of an underlying index gain of 50%.
These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), nor have the SEC or CFTC passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 


 

Summary Section
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 200% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 200% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.12%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.08%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.07%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$109 $342
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or
 
 
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short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is a U.S. Dollar-denominated emerging markets debt index that tracks the total return performance of actively- traded external debt instruments in emerging market countries. An emerging market country’s external debt is the total debt owed to foreign creditors, such as to banks, foreign governments, or international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank. In contrast, the internal debt is owed to domestic creditors. The Index limits the weights of countries with higher outstanding debt and increases the weights of countries with lower outstanding debt.
The Index includes both fixed-rate and floating-rate instruments issued by sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities from Index-eligible countries. Quasi-sovereign entities are entities whose securities are either 100% owned by their respective governments or subject to a 100% guarantee that does not rise to the level of constituting the full faith and credit of such governments. Only those instruments which: (i) are denominated in U.S. Dollars; (ii) have a current face amount outstanding of $1 billion or more; (iii) have at least two years until maturity; (iv) are able to settle internationally through Euroclear or another institution domiciled outside the issuing country; and (v) have bid and offer prices that are available on a daily and timely basis, are considered for inclusion in the Index. As of March 31, 2017, the Index consisted of both investment-grade and non-investment-grade bonds (also known as “junk bonds”). Convertible bonds are not eligible for inclusion in the Index. The Index is rebalanced monthly on the last business day of the month.
As of March 31, 2017, the Index included 412 constituents from the following 54 countries: Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vietnam, and Zambia and the Index’s five highest weighted countries were Mexico, Indonesia, Russia, Turkey and Brazil.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on
an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 200% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 200% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the
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volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 200% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 200% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
200%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -120% -84.2% -85.0% -87.5% -90.9% -94.1%
-50% -100% -75.2% -76.5% -80.5% -85.8% -90.8%
-40% -80% -64.4% -66.2% -72.0% -79.5% -86.8%
-30% -60% -51.5% -54.0% -61.8% -72.1% -82.0%
-20% -40% -36.6% -39.9% -50.2% -63.5% -76.5%
-10% -20% -19.8% -23.9% -36.9% -53.8% -70.2%
0% 0% -1.0% -6.1% -22.1% -43.0% -63.2%
10% 20% 19.8% 13.7% -5.8% -31.1% -55.5%
20% 40% 42.6% 35.3% 12.1% -18.0% -47.0%
30% 60% 67.3% 58.8% 31.6% -3.7% -37.8%
40% 80% 94.0% 84.1% 52.6% 11.7% -27.9%
50% 100% 122.8% 111.4% 75.2% 28.2% -17.2%
60% 120% 153.5% 140.5% 99.4% 45.9% -5.8%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from January 20, 2017 (the inception date of the Index) to March 31, 2017 was 3.15%. The Index’s annualized performance for the period from January 20, 2017 to March 31, 2017 was 5.00%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments.
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  The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 50%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 200% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that
are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 200% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $200 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $202 and the net assets will have risen by that $2 gain to $102. With net assets of $102 and exposure of $202, a purchaser at that point would be receiving 198% exposure of her investment instead of 200%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New
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York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Debt Instrument Risk The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration. Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Credit Risk The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s value and thus have an impact on Fund net asset value and performance.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk - The Fund will invest in, and/or have exposure to, assets in securities rated below investment grade, otherwise known as “junk bonds.” Investments in junk bonds generally involve significantly greater risks of loss of your money than an investment in investment-grade bonds. Compared with issuers of
investment-grade bonds, junk bonds are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and to be materially affected by these difficulties. As a result, junk bonds may be sensitive to economic changes, political changes, or adverse developments specific to a company. These securities generally involve greater risk of default or price changes than other types of fixed-income securities and the Fund’s performance may vary significantly as a result.
Prepayment Risk - Many types of debt securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the security will repay principal prior to the maturity date. Securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. As a result, the Fund may have to reinvest its assets in other debt securities that have lower yields.
Interest Rate Risk Debt instruments have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt instrument or security will fall when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates fall. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically-low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Changes or volatility in interest rates may materially affect the performance of the Fund. The effect of increased interest rates is more pronounced for any intermediate-term or longer-term fixed income obligations. Recent events in the fixed-income market may expose the Fund to heightened interest rate risk and volatility.
Emerging Markets Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, emerging markets instruments involves greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Risks of investing in emerging market countries include political or social upheaval, nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets and risks from an economy’s dependence on revenues from particular commodities or industries. In addition, currency transfer restrictions, limited potential buyers for such instruments, delays and disruption in settlement procedures and illiquidity or low volumes of transactions may make exits difficult or impossible at times.
Frontier Markets Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, frontier markets involves greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid and as a result, may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed and traditional emerging markets. Investments in frontier markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed and traditional emerging markets. Frontier markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuations and greater risk associated with custody of securities. Economic, political, liquidity and currency risks are more pronounced with respect to investments in frontier markets than in emerging markets.
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Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, uncollateralized bonds issued by agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities of foreign governments. Bonds issued by these foreign government agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities are generally only backed by the creditworthiness and reputation of the entities issuing the bonds and may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the foreign government. Moreover, a foreign government that explicitly provides its full faith and credit to a particular entity may be, due to changed circumstances, unable or unwilling to actually provide that support. If a non-U.S. agency is unable to meet its obligations, the Fund will be materially impacted. A non-U.S. agency’s operations and financial condition are influenced by the foreign government’s economic and other policies. Changes to the financial condition or the credit rating of a foreign government may cause the value of debt issued by that particular foreign government’s agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the trading of non-U.S. agency bonds may be less liquid and market prices may be more volatile than prices of U.S. agency bonds. Additional risks associated with non-U.S. agency investing include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, adverse changes in investment or change of control regulations, political instability, which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with, or backed by, a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt obligation, including U.S. Treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect the Fund.
Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic
or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
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Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings
and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and
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may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation-Linked Bond Index (Series L) (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 200% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 200% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.60%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.07%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.88%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.87%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.80% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$89 $280
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index measures the performance of the inflation-protected public obligations of the U.S. Treasury, commonly known as “TIPS.” TIPS are securities issued by the U.S. Treasury that are designed to provide inflation protection to investors. TIPS are income-generating instruments whose interest and principal payments are adjusted for inflation. Inflation is a sustained increase in prices that erodes the purchasing power of money. The inflation adjustments, which are typically applied monthly to the principal of the bond, follows a designated index, the consumer price index (“CPI”), and TIPS’ principal payments are adjusted according to changes
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in the CPI. A fixed coupon rate is applied to the inflation-adjusted principal so that as inflation rises, both the principal value and the interest payments increase. This can provide investors with a hedge against inflation, as it helps preserve the purchasing power of an investment. Because of this inflation adjustment feature, inflation-protected bonds typically have lower yields than conventional fixed-rate bonds.
The Index includes all publicly-issued US. Treasury inflation-protected securities that have at least one year remaining to maturity, are rated investment-grade and have $250 million or more outstanding face value. In addition, the securities in the Index must be denominated in U.S. Dollars and must be fixed-rate and non-convertible. The index is market-capitalization-weighted and is updated on the last calendar day of each month.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the
Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 200% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 200% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
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At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 200% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 200% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
200%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -120% -84.2% -85.0% -87.5% -90.9% -94.1%
-50% -100% -75.2% -76.5% -80.5% -85.8% -90.8%
-40% -80% -64.4% -66.2% -72.0% -79.5% -86.8%
-30% -60% -51.5% -54.0% -61.8% -72.1% -82.0%
-20% -40% -36.6% -39.9% -50.2% -63.5% -76.5%
-10% -20% -19.8% -23.9% -36.9% -53.8% -70.2%
0% 0% -1.0% -6.1% -22.1% -43.0% -63.2%
10% 20% 19.8% 13.7% -5.8% -31.1% -55.5%
20% 40% 42.6% 35.3% 12.1% -18.0% -47.0%
30% 60% 67.3% 58.8% 31.6% -3.7% -37.8%
40% 80% 94.0% 84.1% 52.6% 11.7% -27.9%
50% 100% 122.8% 111.4% 75.2% 28.2% -17.2%
60% 120% 153.5% 140.5% 99.4% 45.9% -5.8%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 5.21%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 5.95% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 0.93%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the
Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures
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  may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 50%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 200% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 200% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results
in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $200 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $202 and the net assets will have risen by that $2 gain to $102. With net assets of $102 and exposure of $202, a purchaser at that point would be receiving 198% exposure of her investment instead of 200%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Deflation Risk - In a period of sustained deflation, the inflation-indexed securities held by the Fund may not pay any income. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-indexed securities it issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee.
U.S. Government Securities Risk A security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States is guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. The market prices for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate. In addition, because many types of U.S. government securities trade actively outside the United States, their prices may
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 12

 

rise and fall as changes in global economic conditions affect the demand for these securities.
Debt Instrument Risk The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration. Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Credit Risk The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s value and thus have an impact on Fund net asset value and performance.
Interest Rate Risk Debt instruments have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt instrument or security will fall when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates fall. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically-low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Changes or volatility in interest rates may materially affect the performance of the Fund. The effect of increased interest rates is more pronounced for any intermediate-term or longer-term fixed income obligations. Recent events in the fixed-income market may expose the Fund to heightened interest rate risk and volatility.
Valuation Time Risk The Fund values its portfolio as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). In some cases, foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund. As a result, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or an index that includes securities from a market that closes earlier or later than the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of that index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward
contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
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Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 14

 

salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
15 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

Overview of the Funds
The Direxion Shares ETF Trust (“Trust”) is a registered investment company offering a number of separate exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). This Prospectus describes the ETFs noted in the table below (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”). Rafferty Asset Management, LLC serves as the investment adviser to each Fund (“Rafferty” or “Adviser”).
The Funds seek daily leveraged investment results, before fees and expenses, of 200% of the performance of an underlying index. For example, the daily leveraged investment objective for the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares is 200% of the daily total return of the performance of the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index. If, on a given day, the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index gains 1%, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares is designed to gain approximately 2% (which is equal to 200% of 1%). Conversely, if the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index loses 1% on a given day, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares is designed to lose approximately 2%. As used in this Prospectus, the terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Each Fund seeks investment results that correspond to 200% of the performance of an underlying index, before fees and expenses, as follows:
Fund Index
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury
Inflation-Linked Bond Index (Series L)
Shares of the Funds (“Shares”), upon commencement of operations, will be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”). When Shares are listed and traded on the Exchange, the market prices for the Shares may be different from the intra-day value of the Shares disseminated by the Exchange and from their net asset value (“NAV”). Unlike conventional mutual funds, Shares are not individually redeemable securities. Rather, each Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis at NAV only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.” A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares. Creation Units of the Funds are issued and redeemed in cash and/or in-kind for securities included in the relevant underlying index.
Shares may only be purchased from, or redeemed with, each Fund in Creation Units. As a result, retail investors generally will not be able to purchase or redeem Shares directly from, or with, each Fund. Most retail investors will purchase or sell Shares in the secondary market with the assistance of a broker. Thus, some of the information contained in this Prospectus, such as information about purchasing and redeeming Shares from, or with, a Fund and all references to the transaction fee imposed on purchases and redemptions, is not relevant to retail investors.
To pursue each Fund’s investment objective, each Fund uses aggressive investment techniques such as engaging in futures, swaps and options transactions. As a result, each Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the Funds' use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. Each Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
Changes in Investment Objective. Each Fund’s investment objective is not a fundamental policy and may be changed by the Funds' Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.
Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies
Rafferty uses a number of investment techniques in an effort to achieve the stated daily investment objective for each Fund. Each Fund seeks 200% of the return of its underlying index on a given day.
Rafferty attempts to provide two times the returns of a Fund's underlying index for a one-day period. To do this, Rafferty creates net “long” positions for each Fund. Rafferty may create short positions for the Fund even though the net exposure in the Fund will be long. Long positions move in the same direction as the underlying index, advancing when the underlying index advances and declining when the underlying index declines. Short positions move in the opposite direction of the underlying index, advancing when the underlying index declines and declining when the underlying index advances. Additionally, none of the Funds seek income that is exempt from federal, state or local taxes.
In seeking to achieve each Fund’s investment objective, Rafferty uses statistical and quantitative analysis to determine the investments each Fund makes and the techniques it employs. Rafferty relies upon a pre-determined model to generate orders that result in repositioning each Fund’s investments in accordance with its daily leveraged investment objective. Using this approach, Rafferty determines the type, quantity and mix of investment positions that it believes in combination
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 16

 

should produce daily returns consistent with a Fund’s investment objective. In general, if a Fund is performing as designed, the return of the underlying index will dictate the return for that Fund. Each Fund generally pursues its investment objective regardless of the market conditions and does not take defensive positions.
Each Fund has a clearly articulated daily leveraged investment objective which requires the Fund to seek economic exposure in excess of its net assets (i.e., net assets plus borrowing for investment purposes). To meet its objectives, each Fund invests in some combination of financial instruments so that it generates economic exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective.
Each Fund offered in this Prospectus may invest significantly in: futures contracts; options on securities, indices and futures contracts; equity caps, floors and collars; swap agreements; forward contracts; short positions; reverse repurchase agreements; ETFs; and other financial instruments. In addition, Rafferty uses these types of investments for the Funds to produce economically “leveraged” investment results. Leveraging allows Rafferty to generate a greater positive or negative return for the Funds than what would be generated on the invested capital without leverage, thus changing small market movements into larger changes in the value of the investments of a Fund.
A Fund generally may hold a representative sample of the securities in its underlying index. The sampling of securities that is held by a Fund is intended to maintain high correlation with, and similar aggregate characteristics (e.g., market capitalization and industry weightings) to, the underlying index. A Fund also may invest in securities that are not included in the underlying index or may overweight or underweight certain components of the underlying index. Certain Fund’s assets may be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent that a Fund's underlying index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. In addition, each Fund offered in this Prospectus is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in the securities of a limited number of issuers.
At the close of the markets each trading day, each Fund will position its portfolio to ensure that the Fund’s exposure to its underlying index is consistent with the Fund’s stated investment objective. The impact of market movements during the day determines whether a portfolio needs to be repositioned. If the underlying index has risen on a given day, a Fund’s net assets should rise, meaning its exposure may need to be increased. Conversely, if the underlying index has fallen on a given day, a Fund’s net assets should fall, meaning its exposure may need to be reduced. A Fund’s portfolio may also need to be changed to reflect changes in the composition of the underlying index. Rafferty increases a Fund’s exposure when its assets rise and reduces a Fund’s exposure when its assets fall.
Each Fund is designed to provide daily leveraged investment returns, before fees and expenses, that are 200% of the returns of its underlying index. A Fund may have difficulty in achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, accounting standards, significant purchase and redemption activity by Fund shareholders and/or disruptions or a temporary lack of liquidity in the markets for the securities held by the Fund. Additionally, if a Fund's underlying index includes foreign securities or tracks a foreign market index where the foreign market closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) closes (generally at 4 p.m. Eastern Time), the performance of the underlying index may differ from the expected daily leveraged performance. As such, correlation to an underlying index for the Fund that tracks an underlying index that includes foreign securities will generally be measured by comparing the daily change in the Fund’s NAV per share to the performance of one or more U.S. ETFs that reflect the values of the securities of the underlying index as of the Fund’s NAV calculation time.
Seeking daily leveraged investment results provides potential for greater gains and losses for each Fund relative to its underlying index’s performance. For a period longer than one day, the pursuit of a daily investment objective may result in daily leveraged compounding. This means that the return of an underlying index over a period of time greater than one day multiplied by a Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 200%) generally will not equal a Fund’s performance over that same period. Consider the following examples:
Mary is considering investments in two Funds, Funds A and B. Fund A is a traditional index ETF which seeks (before fees and expenses) to match the performance of the XYZ index. Fund B is a leveraged ETF and seeks daily leveraged investment results (before fees and expenses) that correspond to 200% of the daily performance of the XYZ index.
On Day 1, the XYZ index increases in value from $100 to $105, a gain of 5%. On Day 2, the XYZ index declines from $105 back to $100, a loss of 4.76%. In the aggregate, the XYZ index has not moved.
An investment in Fund A would be expected to gain 5% on Day 1 and lose 4.76% on Day 2 to return to its original value. The following example assumes a $100 investment in Fund A when the index is also valued at $100:
Day Index Value Index Performance Value of Investment
  $100.00   $100.00
1 $105.00 5.00% $105.00
2 $100.00 -4.76% $100.00
The same $100 investment in Fund B, however, would be expected to gain in value on Day 1 but decline in value on Day 2.
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The $100 investment in Fund B would be expected to gain 10% on Day 1 (200% of 5%) but decline 9.52% on Day 2.
Day Index Performance 200% of Index Performance Value of Investment
      $100.00
1 5.00% 10.0% $110.00
2 -4.76% -9.52% $99.52
Although the percentage decline in Fund B is smaller on Day 2 than the percentage gain on Day 1, the loss is applied to a higher principal amount, so the investment in Fund B experiences a loss even when the aggregate index value for the two-day period has not declined. (These calculations do not include the charges for expense ratios and financing charges.)
As you can see, an investment in Fund B has additional risks due to the effects of leverage and compounding.
The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and ETFs. First, each Fund pursues a daily leveraged investment objective, which means that the Funds are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because each Fund magnifies the performance of an underlying index. Second, each Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results. An investor who purchases shares of a Fund intra-day will generally receive more, or less, than 200% exposure to the underlying index from that point until the end of the trading day. The actual exposure is a function of the performance of the underlying index from the end of the prior trading day. If a Fund’s shares are held for a period longer than a single trading day, the Fund’s performance is likely to deviate from 200% of the return of the underlying index’s performance for the longer period. This deviation will increase with higher index volatility and longer holding periods. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold a Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day or for a period different than a trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. The Funds are not suitable for all investors.
For investments held for longer than a trading day, volatility in the performance of the underlying index from day to day is the primary cause of any disparity between a Fund’s actual returns, the product of the Fund’s beta and the returns of the underlying index for such longer period. Volatility causes such disparity because it exacerbates the effects of compounding on a Fund’s returns. In addition, the effects of volatility are magnified in the Funds due to leverage. For example, consider the following three examples that demonstrate the effect of volatility on a hypothetical fund:
Example 1 Underlying Index Experiences Low Volatility
Mary invests $10.00 in a hypothetical Fund at the close of trading on Day 1. During Day 2, the Fund’s underlying index rises from 100 to 102, a 2% gain. Mary’s investment rises 4% to $10.40. Mary holds her investment through the close of trading on Day 3, during which the Fund’s underlying index rises from 102 to 104, a gain of 1.96%. Mary’s investment rises to $10.81, a gain during Day 3 of 3.92%. For the two day period since Mary invested in the Fund, the underlying index gained 4% although Mary’s investment increased by 8.1%. Because the underlying index continued to trend upwards with low volatility, Mary’s return closely correlates to the 200% return of the return of the underlying index for the period.
Example 2 Underlying Index Experiences High Volatility
Mary invests $10.00 in a hypothetical Fund after the close of trading on Day 1. During Day 2, the Fund’s underlying index rises from 100 to 102, a 2% gain, and Mary’s investment rises 4% to $10.40. Mary continues to hold her investment through the end of Day 3, during which the Fund’s underlying index declines from 102 to 98, a loss of 3.92%. Mary’s investment declines by 7.84%, from $10.40 to $9.58. For the two day period since Mary invested in the Fund, the Fund’s underlying index lost 2% while Mary’s investment decreased from $10 to $9.58, a 4.2% loss. The volatility of the underlying index affected the correlation between the underlying index’s return for the two day period and Mary’s return. In this situation, Mary lost more than two times the return of the underlying index.
Example 3 Intra-day Investment with Volatility
The examples above assumed that Mary purchased the hypothetical Fund at the close of trading on Day 1 and sold her investment at the close of trading on a subsequent day. However, if she made an investment intra-day, she would have received a beta determined by the performance of the underlying index from the end of the prior trading day until her time of purchase on the next trading day. Consider the following example.
Mary invests $10.00 in a hypothetical Fund at 11 a.m. on Day 2. From the close of trading on Day 1 until 11 a.m. on Day 2, the underlying index moved from 100 to 102, a 2% gain. In light of that gain, the Fund beta at the point at which Mary invests is 196%. During the remainder of Day 2, the Fund’s underlying index rises from 102 to 110, a gain of 7.84%, and Mary’s investment rises 15.4% (which is the underlying index gain of 7.84% multiplied by the 196% beta that she received) to $11.54. Mary continues to hold her investment through the close of trading on Day 3, during which the Fund’s underlying index declines from 110 to 90, a loss of 18.18%. Mary’s investment declines by 36.4%, from $11.54 to $7.34. For the period of Mary’s investment, the Fund’s underlying index declined from 102 to 90, a loss of 11.76%, while Mary’s investment decreased from $10.00 to $7.34, a 27% loss. The volatility of the underlying index affected the correlation
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 18

 

between the underlying index’s return for period and Mary’s return. In this situation, Mary lost more than two times the return of the underlying index. Mary was also hurt because she missed the first 2% move of the underlying index and had a beta of 196% for the remainder of Day 2.
Each Fund is designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Such investors are expected to monitor and manage their portfolios frequently. Investors in the Funds should: (a) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, (b) understand the consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, and (c) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments. Investors who do not understand the Funds or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments should not buy the Funds. There is no assurance that a Fund offered in this Prospectus will achieve its investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No Fund is a complete investment program.
Market Volatility. Each Fund seeks to provide a return that is a multiple of the daily performance of its underlying index. No Fund attempts to, and should not be expected to, provide returns which are a multiple of the return of the underlying index for periods other than a single day. Each Fund rebalances its portfolio on a daily basis, increasing exposure in response to that day’s gains or reducing exposure in response to that day’s losses.
Daily rebalancing will impair a Fund’s performance if the underlying index experiences volatility. For instance, a Fund would be expected to lose 4% (as shown in Table 1 below) if its underlying index provided no return over a one year period and experienced annualized volatility of 20%. If the underlying index’s annualized volatility were to rise to 40%, the hypothetical loss for a one year period for a Fund widens to approximately 15%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of Fund value even if the underlying index is flat. For instance, if annualized volatility of the underlying index is 90%, a Fund is expected to lose 76%.
Table 1
Volatility
Range
2X Fund
Loss
10% -1%
20% -4%
30% -9%
40% -15%
50% -23%
60% -33%
70% -47%
80% -55%
90% -76%
100% -84%
Table 2 shows the volatility rate for the Funds’ underlying indices over the five year period ended December 31, 2016. If an index has been in existence for less than 5 years, its inception date is noted next to its name in Table 2. The underlying indices have annualized historical volatility rates over that period ranging from 3.15% to 5.21%. Since market volatility has negative implications for Funds which rebalance daily, investors should be sure to monitor and manage their investments in the Funds particularly in volatile markets. The negative implications of volatility in Table 1 can be combined with the recent volatility ranges of various indices in Table 2 to give investors some sense of the risks of holding the Funds for long periods. These tables are intended to simply underscore the fact that the Funds are designed as short-term trading vehicles. The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios.
Table 2 Historic Volatility of each Fund’s Benchmark Index
Index 5-Year Historical
Volatility
Rate
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation-Linked Bond Index
(Series L)
5.21%
J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index 
(From Inception on January 20, 2017 through March 31, 2017)
3.15%
A Precautionary Note to Investors Regarding Dramatic Index Movement. The Fund seeks daily exposure to its underlying index equal to 200% of its net assets. As a consequence, a Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of a movement of its underlying index in excess of 50% in a direction adverse to the Fund (meaning a decline in the value of the underlying index of a Fund). Rafferty will attempt to position each Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not lose more than 90% of its NAV on a given day. The cost of such downside protection will be symmetrical limitations on gains. If Rafferty successfully positions a Fund’s portfolio to provide such limits, a Fund’s portfolio and NAV will not be responsive to movements in its underlying index beyond 45% in a given day, whether that movement is favorable
19 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

or adverse to the Fund. For example, if an underlying index were to gain 50%, a Fund might be limited to a daily gain of 90%, which corresponds to 200% of an underlying index gain of 45%, rather than 100%, which is 200% of the underlying index's gain of 50%. Rafferty cannot be assured of similarly limiting a Fund’s losses and shareholders should not expect such protection. In short, the risk of total loss exists. In the event of a severe underlying index movement within one trading day, which results in such a limit on gains and losses, a Fund’s performance may be inconsistent with its stated daily leveraged investment objective.
The intra-day value of each Fund’s shares, otherwise known as the “intraday indicative value” or “IOPV,” which is disseminated by the Exchange every 15 seconds throughout the business day, is based on the current market value of the securities and cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit on the prior business day. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund at a particular point in time, nor the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund’s NAV, which is computed only once a day.
The Projected Return of a Fund for a Single Trading Day. Each Fund seeks to provide a daily return that is 200% of the daily return of an underlying index. Doing so requires the use of leveraged investment techniques, which necessarily incur financing charges. For instance, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares seeks exposure to its underlying index in an amount equal to 200% of its assets, meaning it uses leveraged investment techniques to seek exposure to the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index in an amount equal to 200% of its net assets. In light of the financing charges and each Fund’s operating expenses, the expected return of a Fund over one trading day is equal to the gross expected return, which is the daily underlying index return multiplied by a Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective, minus (i) financing charges incurred by the portfolio and (ii) daily operating expenses. For instance, if the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index returns 2% on a given day, the gross expected return of the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares would be 4%, but the net expected return, which factors in the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, would be lower. Each Fund will reposition its portfolio at the end of every trading day. Therefore, if an investor purchases Fund shares at close of the markets on a given trading day, the investor’s exposure to the underlying index of a Fund would reflect 200% of the performance of the underlying index during the following trading day, subject to the charges and expenses noted above, regardless of whether the investor sells the shares during that day.
The Projected Returns of a Fund for Intra-Day Purchases. Because each Fund rebalances its portfolio once daily, an investor who purchases shares during a day will likely have more, or less, than 200% leveraged investment exposure to the underlying index. The exposure to the underlying index received by an investor who purchases a Fund intra-day will differ from the Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 200%) by an amount determined by the movement of the underlying index from its value at the end of the prior day. If the underlying index moves in a direction favorable to the Fund between the close of the market on one trading day through the time on the next trading day when the investor purchases Fund shares, the investor will receive less exposure to the underlying index than the stated fund daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 200%). Conversely, if the underlying index moves in a direction adverse to the Fund, the investor will receive more exposure to the underlying index than the stated fund daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 200%).
Table 3 below indicates the exposure to the underlying index that an intra-day purchase of a Fund would be expected to provide based upon the movement in the value of a Fund’s underlying index from the close of the market on the prior trading day. Such exposure holds until a subsequent sale on that same trading day or until the close of the market on that trading day. For instance, if the underlying index has moved 5% in a direction favorable to a Fund, the investor would receive exposure to the performance of the underlying index from that point until the investor sells later that day or the end of the day equal to approximately 191% of the investor’s investment.
Conversely, if the underlying index has moved 5% in a direction unfavorable to a Fund, an investor at that point would receive exposure to the performance of the underlying index from that point until the investor sells later that day or the end of the day equal to approximately 211% of the investor’s investment.
The table includes a range of underlying index moves from 20% to -20% for a Fund. Movement of the underlying index beyond the range noted below will result in exposure further from a Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective.
Table 3
Index Move Resulting Exposure for a Fund
-20% 267%
-15% 243%
-10% 225%
-5% 211%
0% 200%
5% 191%
10% 183%
15% 177%
20% 171%
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The Projected Returns of the Funds for Periods Other Than a Single Trading Day. Each Fund seeks leveraged investment results on a daily basisfrom the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day— which should not be equated with seeking a leveraged investment objective for any other period. For instance, if the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index gains 10% for a week, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares should not be expected to provide a return of 20% for the week even if it meets its daily leveraged investment objective throughout the week. This is true because of the financing charges noted above but also because the pursuit of daily goals may result in daily leveraged compounding, which means that the return of the underlying index over a period of time greater than one day multiplied by a Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 200%) will not generally equal a Fund’s performance over that same period. In addition, the effects of compounding become greater the longer Shares are held beyond a single trading day.
The following charts set out a range of hypothetical daily performances during a given 10 trading days of a hypothetical underlying index and demonstrate how changes in the hypothetical underlying index impact a hypothetical fund’s performance for a trading day and cumulatively up to, and including, the entire 10 trading day period. The charts are based on a hypothetical $100 investment in a hypothetical fund over a 10 trading day period and do not reflect expenses of any kind.
Table 4 The Index Lacks a Clear Trend
Index Fund
  Value Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
  100     $100.00    
Day 1 105 5.00% 5.00% $110.00 10.00% 10.00%
Day 2 110 4.76% 10.00% $120.48 9.52% 20.47%
Day 3 100 -9.09% 0.00% $ 98.57 -18.18% -1.43%
Day 4 90 -10.00% -10.00% $ 78.86 -20.00% -21.14%
Day 5 85 -5.56% -15.00% $ 70.10 -11.12% -29.91%
Day 6 100 17.65% 0.00% $ 94.83 35.30% -5.17%
Day 7 95 -5.00% -5.00% $ 85.35 -10.00% -14.65%
Day 8 100 5.26% 0.00% $ 94.34 10.52% -5.68%
Day 9 105 5.00% 5.00% $103.77 10.00% 3.76%
Day 10 100 -4.76% 0.00% $ 93.89 -9.52% -6.12%
The cumulative performance of the hypothetical underlying index in Table 4 is 0% for 10 trading days. The return of a hypothetical Fund for the 10 trading day period is 6.12%. The volatility of the hypothetical underlying index’s performance and lack of a clear trend results in performance for each hypothetical Fund for the period which bears little relationship to the performance of the hypothetical underlying index for the 10 trading day period.
Table 5 The Index Rises in a Clear Trend
Index Fund
  Value Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
  100     $100.00    
Day 1 102 2.00% 2.00% $104.00 4.00% 4.00%
Day 2 104 1.96% 4.00% $108.08 3.92% 8.08%
Day 3 106 1.92% 6.00% $112.24 3.84% 12.23%
Day 4 108 1.89% 8.00% $116.47 3.78% 16.47%
Day 5 110 1.85% 10.00% $120.78 3.70% 20.78%
Day 6 112 1.82% 12.00% $125.18 3.64% 25.17%
Day 7 114 1.79% 14.00% $129.65 3.58% 29.66%
Day 8 116 1.75% 16.00% $134.20 3.50% 34.19%
Day 9 118 1.72% 18.00% $138.82 3.44% 38.81%
Day 10 120 1.69% 20.00% $143.53 3.38% 43.50%
The cumulative performance of the hypothetical underlying index in Table 5 is 20% for 10 trading days. The return of the hypothetical Fund for the 10 trading day period is 43.50%. In this case, because of the positive hypothetical underlying index trend, the hypothetical Fund’s gain is greater than 200% of the hypothetical underlying index gain for the 10 trading day period.
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Table 6 The Index Declines in a Clear Trend
Index Fund
  Value Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
  100     $100.00    
Day 1 98 -2.00% -2.00% $ 96.00 -4.00% -4.00%
Day 2 96 -2.04% -4.00% $ 92.08 -4.08% -7.92%
Day 3 94 -2.08% -6.00% $ 88.24 -4.16% -11.75%
Day 4 92 -2.13% -8.00% $ 84.49 -4.26% -15.51%
Day 5 90 -2.17% -10.00% $ 80.82 -4.34% -19.17%
Day 6 88 -2.22% -12.00% $ 77.22 -4.44% -22.76%
Day 7 86 -2.27% -14.00% $ 73.71 -4.54% -26.27%
Day 8 84 -2.33% -16.00% $ 70.29 -4.66% -29.71%
Day 9 82 -2.38% -18.00% $ 66.94 -4.76% -33.05%
Day 10 80 -2.44% -20.00% $ 63.67 -4.88% -36.32%
The cumulative performance of the hypothetical underlying index in Table 6 is -20% for 10 trading days. The return of the hypothetical Fund for the 10 trading day period is 36.32%. In this case, because of the negative hypothetical underlying index trend, the hypothetical Fund’s decline is less than 200% of the hypothetical underlying index decline for the 10 trading day period.
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Additional Information Regarding Principal Risks
An investment in a Fund entails risks. A Fund could lose money, or its performance could trail that of other investment alternatives. Rafferty cannot guarantee that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review and understand these risks before making an investment in a Fund. The table below provides the risks of investing in the Funds. Following the table, each risk is explained.
     
  Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk X X
Derivatives Risk X X
Leverage Risk X X
Counterparty Risk X X
Intra-Day Investment Risk X X
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk X X
Valuation Time Risk   X
Credit Risk X X
Debt Instrument Risk X X
Deflation Risk   X
Emerging Markets Risk X  
Frontier Markets Risk X  
Interest Rate Risk X X
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk X  
Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk X  
Prepayment Risk X  
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk X  
U.S. Government Securities Risk   X
Foreign Securities Risk X  
International Closed-Market Trading Risk X  
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk X X
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk X X
High Portfolio Turnover Risk X X
Investment Risk X X
Liquidity Risk X X
Market Risk X X
Money Market Instrument Risk X X
Non-Diversification Risk X X
Regulatory Risk X X
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds X X
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk
Each Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and a Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than the underlying index’s performance times the stated multiple in a Fund’s investment objective, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary. Each Fund does not attempt to, and should not be expected to, provide returns, before fees and expenses, which are 200% of the performance of its underlying index for periods other than one trading day. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase. The impact of compounding will affect each
shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in a Fund is held and the volatility of its underlying index during the period an investment in a Fund is held.
As a result, over time, the cumulative percentage increase or decrease in the value of a Fund’s portfolio may diverge significantly from the cumulative percentage increase or decrease in 200% of the return of a Fund's underlying index due to the compounding effect of losses and gains on the returns of a Fund. It also is expected that a Fund's use of leverage will cause the Fund to underperform the return of 200% of its underlying index in a trendless or flat market. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced on a Fund’s performance as its underlying index experiences volatility. An index’s volatility rate is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns of the index.
 
 
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The chart below provides examples of how index volatility could affect a Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) index volatility; b) index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in its underlying index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors index volatility and index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of index volatility and index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in its underlying index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure for the Fund) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown.
As shown below, a Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if its underlying index provided no return over a one year period during which its underlying index experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If its underlying index’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period for a Fund widens to approximately 43.0%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in a Fund. For instance, if an underlying index’s annualized volatility is 100%, a Fund would be expected to lose approximately 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative return of its underlying index for the year was 0%. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the underlying index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of a Fund’s underlying index.
One
Year
Index
200%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -120% -84.2% -85.0% -87.5% -90.9% -94.1%
-50% -100% -75.2% -76.5% -80.5% -85.8% -90.8%
-40% -80% -64.4% -66.2% -72.0% -79.5% -86.8%
-30% -60% -51.5% -54.0% -61.8% -72.1% -82.0%
-20% -40% -36.6% -39.9% -50.2% -63.5% -76.5%
-10% -20% -19.8% -23.9% -36.9% -53.8% -70.2%
0% 0% -1.0% -6.1% -22.1% -43.0% -63.2%
10% 20% 19.8% 13.7% -5.8% -31.1% -55.5%
20% 40% 42.6% 35.3% 12.1% -18.0% -47.0%
30% 60% 67.3% 58.8% 31.6% -3.7% -37.8%
40% 80% 94.0% 84.1% 52.6% 11.7% -27.9%
50% 100% 122.8% 111.4% 75.2% 28.2% -17.2%
60% 120% 153.5% 140.5% 99.4% 45.9% -5.8%
Holding an unmanaged position opens the investor to the risk of market volatility adversely affecting the performance of the investment. A Fund is not appropriate for investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. Each table is intended to underscore the fact that a Fund is designed as a short-term trading vehicle for investors who intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios.
For additional information and examples demonstrating the effects of volatility and index performance on the long-term performance of the Funds, see the “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” section, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Funds' Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk
A Fund uses investment techniques, including investments in derivatives, such as swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options that may be considered aggressive. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than investing in the underlying securities directly. Investments in these derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that cause their prices to fluctuate more than an investment directly in a security and may increase the volatility of a Fund. The use of derivatives may expose a Fund to additional risks such as counterparty risk, liquidity risk and increased daily correlation risk. When a Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the underlying reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent a Fund from achieving its investment objective.
A Fund may use a combination of swaps on the underlying index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same or a substantially similar underlying index. The performance of this underlying ETF may not track the performance of the underlying index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that a Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as an underlying reference asset, a Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the underlying index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the underlying index securities as a reference or as an underlying asset. Additionally, with respect to the use of swap agreements, if the underlying index has a dramatic intraday move in value that causes a material decline in a Fund’s NAV, the terms of the swap agreement between a Fund and its counterparty may allow the counterparty to immediately close out of the transaction with a Fund. In such circumstances, a Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve the desired exposure consistent with a Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective. This may prevent a Fund from achieving its daily leveraged investment objective particularly if the underlying index reverses all or a portion of its intraday move by the end of the day. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering a Fund’s return. In addition, a Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties
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  is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index. Total return swaps are subject to counterparty risk, which relates to credit risk of the counterparty and liquidity risk of the swaps themselves.
Futures Contracts. A futures contact is a contract to purchase or sell a particular security, or the cash value of an index, at a specified future date at a price agreed upon when the contract is made. Under such contracts, no delivery of the actual securities is required. Rather, upon the expiration of the contract, settlement is made by exchanging cash in an amount equal to the difference between the contract price and the closing price of a security or index at expiration, net of the variation margin that was previously paid.
Forward Contracts. Forward contracts are two-party contracts pursuant to which one party agrees to pay the counterparty a fixed price for an agreed upon amount of commodities, securities, or the cash value of the commodities, securities or the securities index, at an agreed upon date. A forward currency contract is an obligation to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract.
Options. An option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying the option at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option (normally not exceeding nine months). The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency.
Options on Futures Contracts. An option on a futures contract provides the holder with the right to enter into a “long” position in the underlying futures contract, in the case of a call option, or a “short” position in the underlying futures contract in the case of a put option, at a fixed exercise price to a stated expiration date. Upon exercise of the option by the holder, the contract market clearing house establishes a corresponding short position for the writer of the option, in the case of a call option, or a corresponding long position, in the case of a put option.
Leverage Risk
To achieve its daily investment objective, each Fund employs leverage and is exposed to the risk that adverse daily performance of a Fund's underlying index will be leveraged. This means that, if a Fund's underlying index experiences an adverse daily performance, your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% of adverse performance, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment.
A Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of a movement of its underlying index in excess of 50% in a direction adverse to the Fund (meaning a decline in the value of the Index). Further, purchasing shares during a single day may result in greater than 200% exposure to the performance of the underlying index if the underlying index moves in a direction adverse to the Fund between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in a Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk
Each Fund invests in financial instruments which are subject to the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations with respect to the amount a Fund expects to receive from counterparties to financial instruments. Each Fund generally structures the swap agreements entered into with counterparties such that either party can terminate the contract without penalty prior to the termination date. A Fund may be negatively impacted if a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations under such a contract. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to a Fund, it may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. The Adviser considers factors such as counterparty credit rating among other factors when determining whether a counterparty is creditworthy. The Adviser regularly monitors the creditworthiness of each counterparty with which a Fund transacts. Each Fund generally enters into swap agreements or other financial instruments with major, global financial institutions and seeks to mitigate risks by generally requiring that the counterparties for each Fund agree to post collateral for the benefit of each Fund, marked to market daily, in an amount approximately equal to what the counterparty owes a Fund subject to certain minimum thresholds. To the extent any such collateral is insufficient or there are delays in accessing the collateral, the Funds will be exposed to the risk described above.
In addition, a Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase a Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. A Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. There is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with a Fund and, as a result, a Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objectives. A Fund will not enter into any agreement involving a counterparty unless the Adviser believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. Additionally, although a counterparty to a centrally cleared swap agreement and/or an exchange-traded futures contract is often backed by a futures commission merchant (“FCM”) or a clearing organization that is further backed by a group of financial institutions, there may be instances in which a FCM or a
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clearing organization would fail to perform its obligations, causing significant losses to a Fund.
Intra-Day Investment Risk
Each Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, which should not be equated with seeking an investment objective for shorter than a day. Thus, an investor who purchases Fund shares after the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day will likely have more, or less, than 200% leveraged investment exposure to the underlying index, depending upon the movement of the underlying index from the end of one trading day until the time of purchase. If the underlying index moves in a direction favorable to a Fund, the investor will receive less than 200% exposure to the underlying index. Conversely, if the underlying index moves in a direction adverse to a Fund, the investor will receive exposure to the underlying index greater than 200%. Investors may consult the Funds' website at any point during the day to determine how the current value of a Fund's underlying index relates to the value of the underlying index at the end of the previous day.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk
For each Fund, there can be no guarantee that each Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to its underlying index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with its underlying index, each Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. Each Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees and expenses, high portfolio turnover, transaction costs and costs associated with the use of leveraged investment techniques and/or a temporary lack of liquidity in the markets for the securities held by a Fund. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect each Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Because an underlying index may include foreign securities, a Fund’s return may vary from a multiple of the performance of an underlying index due to foreign markets being closed before the NYSE opens or not being open for business on the same calendar days as a Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in its underlying index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the underlying index. In addition, a Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the underlying index. Each Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to its underlying index. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the underlying index is impacted dynamically by the underlying index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that a Fund will be perfectly exposed to its underlying index at the end of each day. The possibility of a Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to its underlying index increases on days when the underlying index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Activities surrounding periodic underlying index reconstitutions and other underlying index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder a Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Valuation Time Risk
A Fund values its portfolio as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). In some cases, foreign markets may close before the NYSE opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as a Fund. As a result, the performance of a fund that tracks a foreign market index or an index that includes foreign securities can vary from the performance of that index.
Credit Risk
A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s value and thus have an impact on Fund performance. The degree of credit risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. Lower rated debt securities involve greater credit risk, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy.
Debt Instrument Risk
The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration. Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Deflation Risk
In a period of sustained deflation, the inflation-indexed securities held by a Fund may not pay any income. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-indexed securities it issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee.
Emerging Markets Risk
Investments inand/or exposure to emerging markets instruments involve greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Risks of investing in emerging market countries include political or social upheaval, nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets. There may also be risks from an economy’s dependence on revenues from particular commodities or industries. In addition, currency
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transfer restrictions, limited potential buyers for such instruments, delays and disruption in settlement procedures and illiquidity or low volumes of transactions may make exits difficult or impossible at times. Additionally, emerging market countries may include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, security issues that are held by only a few investors, limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issuances or securities offerings may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information.
Frontier Markets Risk
Investments in, and/or exposure to, frontier markets instruments involve greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Frontier markets are those emerging markets considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid. Investments in frontier markets generally are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in developed markets or traditional emerging markets. This is due to, among other things, smaller economies, less developed capital markets, greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments than typically found in more developed markets. Frontier markets are even more prone to economic shocks associated with political and economic risks than are emerging markets generally. Many frontier market countries may be dependent on commodities, foreign trade or foreign aid. As a result, those risks traditionally associated with investments in emerging markets may be more pronounced with respect to investments in frontier market economies.
Interest Rate Risk
Debt securities, and securities that provide exposure to debt securities, have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Due to recent events in the fixed-income markets, including the potential impact of the Federal Reserve Board tapering its quantitative easing program, a Fund may be subject to heightened interest rate risk as a result of a rise in interest rates. In addition, a Fund is subject to the risk that interest rates may exhibit increased volatility, which could cause the Fund’s NAV to fluctuate more. A decrease in fixed-income market maker capacity may act to decrease liquidity in the fixed-income markets and act to further increase volatility, affecting a Fund’s return. Changes or volatility in interest rates may adversely affect the performance of a Fund. In general, the price of a debt security may fall when interest rates rise and may rise when interest rates fall. Securities with longer maturities can be more sensitive to interest rate changes. In other words, the longer the maturity of a security, the greater the impact a change in interest rates could have on the security’s price. In addition, short-term and long-term interest rates do not necessarily move in the same amount or the same direction. Short-term securities tend to react to changes in short-term interest rates, and long-term securities tend to react to changes in long-term interest rates. The impact of an interest rate change may be significant for other asset classes as
well, whether because of the impact of interest rates on economic activity or because of changes in the relative attractiveness of asset classes due to changes in interest rates. For instance, higher interest rates may make investments in debt securities more attractive, thus reducing investments in equities.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk
Investment in, and/or exposure to, a significant portion of assets in securities rated below investment grade, otherwise known as “junk bonds” generally involves significantly greater risk of loss of your money than an investment in investment-grade bonds. Compared with issuers of investment-grade bonds, junk bonds are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and to be materially affected by these difficulties. Rising interest rates may compound these difficulties and reduce an issuer’s ability to repay principal and interest obligations. Issuers of lower-rated securities also have a greater risk of default or bankruptcy. High-yield securities may be less liquid than higher quality investments. A security whose credit rating has been lowered may be particularly difficult to sell.
Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk
A Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, uncollateralized bonds issued by agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities of foreign governments. Bonds issued by these foreign government agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities are generally only backed by the creditworthiness and reputation of the entities issuing the bonds and may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the foreign government. Moreover, a foreign government that explicitly provides its full faith and credit to a particular entity may be, due to changed circumstances, unable or unwilling to actually provide that support. If a non-U.S. agency is unable to meet its obligations, a Fund will be materially impacted. A non-U.S. agency’s operations and financial condition are influenced by the foreign government’s economic and other policies. Changes to the financial condition or the credit rating of a foreign government may cause the value of debt issued by that particular foreign government’s agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the trading of non-U.S. agency bonds may be less liquid and market prices may be more volatile than prices of U.S. agency bonds. Additional risks associated with non-U.S. agency investing include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, adverse changes in investment or change of control regulations, political instability, which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital.
Prepayment Risk
Many types of debt securities, including mortgage securities, are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the security will repay principal prior to the maturity date. Securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to
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predict and result in greater volatility. As a result, a Fund may have to reinvest its assets in mortgage securities or other debt securities that have lower yields.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk
An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by, or guaranteed by, a foreign sovereign government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by, or guaranteed by, an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and a Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt obligation, including U.S. Treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect a Fund. Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which a Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, may have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
U.S. Government Securities Risk
A security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States is guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. The market prices for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate. In addition, because many types of U.S. government securities trade actively outside the United States, their prices may rise and fall as changes in global economic conditions affect the demand for these securities.
Foreign Securities Risk
Foreign instruments may involve greater risks than domestic instruments. As a result, a Fund’s returns and NAV may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, interest rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the United States, and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Foreign securities may involve additional risk, including, greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals, changes in
international trade patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionists or retaliatory measures.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk
Because a Fund’s investments may be traded in markets that are closed when the Exchange is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.
Adverse Market Conditions Risk
The performance of a Fund is designed to correlate to the performance of an underlying index. As a consequence, a Fund’s performance will suffer during conditions which are adverse to the Fund’s investment objective. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, then the Fund's performance should rise. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, then the Fund's performance should also fall.
Adviser’s Investment Strategy Risk
The Adviser utilizes a quantitative methodology to select investments for each Fund. Although this methodology is designed to correlate the Fund's daily performance with 200% of the daily performance of the Index , there is no assurance that such methodology will be successful and will enable a Fund to achieve its investment objective.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk
Using investment techniques that may be considered aggressive may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of a Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Commodity Pool Registration Risk
Under amended regulations promulgated by the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the Funds are considered commodity pools, and therefore each is subject to regulation under the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC rules. The Adviser is registered as a commodity pool operator and will manage the Funds in accordance with CFTC rules, as well as the rules that apply to registered investment companies, which includes registering the Funds as commodity pools. Registration as a commodity pool subjects the registrant to additional laws, regulations and enforcement policies, all of which may potentially increase compliance costs and may affect the operations and financial performance of the Funds.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk
An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, a Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to
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accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Gain Limitation Risk
Rafferty will attempt to position each Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not lose more than 90% of its NAV on a given day. The cost of such downside protection will be limitations on a Fund’s gains. As a consequence, a Fund’s portfolio may not be responsive to underlying index movements beyond 45% in a given day whether that movement is favorable or adverse to the Fund. For example, for a Fund, if its underlying index were to gain 50%, a Fund might be limited to a daily gain of 90% rather than 100%, which is 200% of the underlying index gain of 50%.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk
Daily rebalancing of a Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of a Fund’s shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). A Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of a Fund’s trading. As such, if a Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk
An investment in a Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk
Some securities held by a Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities may also be difficult to value. If a Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, a Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent a Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with its underlying index, thus adversely affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk
A Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that
impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. The Fund typically would lose value on a day when the Index declines.
Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity may negatively affect issuers, which could have an adverse effect on each Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government, Federal Reserve, or other government actors, which could include increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and lead to higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on a Fund. A Fund’s NAV could decline over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.
Money Market Instrument Risk
A Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk
A Fund invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A Fund’s NAV and total return may fluctuate more, or fall greater, in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund because the Fund may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. As a result, the gains or losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on a Fund’s NAV and may make a Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Regulatory Risk
Each Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Additional legislative or regulatory changes could occur that may materially and adversely affect each Fund. For example, the regulatory environment for derivative instruments in which a Fund may invest is evolving, and changes in the regulation or taxation of derivative instruments may materially and adversely affect the ability of a Fund to pursue its trading strategies. Similarly, the regulatory environment for leveraged funds generally also may evolve, and changes in the direct or indirect regulation of leveraged funds could have a material adverse effect on the ability of a Fund to pursue its investment objective or strategy. Such legislative or regulatory changes could pose additional risks and result in material adverse consequences to a Fund.
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Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. A Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. Only Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with a Fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade like closed-end fund shares at a discount to NAV and possibly face delisting from the Exchange.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of a Fund that are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at NAV. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of a Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at NAV. A Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with a Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to a Fund’s NAV. A Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with a Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of a Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
A Precautionary Note to Retail Investors. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), a limited trust company and securities depositary that serves as a national clearinghouse for the settlement of trades for its participating banks and broker-dealers, or its nominee, will be the registered owner of all outstanding Shares of each fund of the Trust. Your ownership of Shares will be shown on the records of DTC and the DTC Participant broker through whom you hold the Shares. THE TRUST WILL NOT HAVE ANY RECORD OF YOUR OWNERSHIP. Your account information will be maintained by your broker, who will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales of Shares, and tax information. Your broker also will be
responsible for ensuring that you receive shareholder reports and other communications from a Fund whose Shares you own. Typically, you will receive other services (e.g., average basis information) only if your broker offers these services.
A Precautionary Note to Purchasers of Creation Units. You should be aware of certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly from the issuing Fund. Because new Shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a “distribution” of Shares could be occurring at any time. As a dealer, certain activities on your part could, depending on the circumstances, result in your being deemed a participant in the distribution, in a manner that could render you a statutory underwriter and subject you to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”). For example, you could be deemed a statutory underwriter if you purchase Creation Units from an issuing Fund, break them down into the constituent Shares and sell those Shares directly to customers, or if you choose to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. Whether a person is an underwriter depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could cause you to be deemed an underwriter. Dealers who are not “underwriters,” but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions), and thus dealing with Shares as part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act.
A Precautionary Note to Investment Companies. For purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”) each Fund is a registered investment company, and the acquisition of Shares by other investment companies is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) thereof.
The Trust and the Funds have obtained an exemptive order from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) allowing a registered investment company to invest in a Fund beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain conditions, including that a registered investment company enters into a Participation Agreement with the Trust regarding the terms of the investment. Any investment company considering purchasing Shares of a Fund in amounts that would cause it to exceed the restrictions under Section 12(d)(1) should contact the Trust.
A Precautionary Note Regarding Unusual Circumstances. The Trust can postpone payment of redemption proceeds for any period during which (1) the Exchange is closed other than customary weekend and holiday closings, (2) trading on the Exchange is restricted, as determined by the SEC, (3) any emergency circumstances exist, as determined by the SEC, or (4) the SEC by order permits for the protection of shareholders of a Fund.
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About Your Investment
Share Price of the Funds
A fund’s share price is known as its NAV. Each Fund’s share price is calculated as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“Valuation Time”), each day the NYSE is open for business (“Business Day”). The NYSE is open for business Monday through Friday, except in observation of the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The NYSE may close early on the business day before each of these holidays and on the day after Thanksgiving Day. NYSE holiday schedules are subject to change without notice.
However, on days that the bond markets close all day, which currently includes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day (a “Bond Market Holiday”), the Funds do not calculate their NAV, even if the NYSE is open for business. On such days, orders for purchase or redemption will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday. Similarly, on days that the bond markets close early but the NYSE does not (usually at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, and which currently include the Friday before Memorial Day and New Year’s Eve), the Funds treat the portion of the day that the bond markets are closed as a Bond Market Holiday and calculates their NAVs as of the recommended closing time for the bond markets, which may be before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, subject to the discretion of the Adviser. In such instances, orders for purchase or redemption that are received prior to the close of the bond markets will receive the NAV calculated at the time of the bond markets closure, whereas orders for purchase or redemption that are received thereafter will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday.
If the exchange or market on which a Fund’s investments are primarily traded closes early, the NAV may be calculated prior to its normal calculation time. Creation/redemption transaction order time cutoffs would also be accelerated.
The value of a Fund’s assets that trade in markets outside the United States or in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar may fluctuate when foreign markets are open but the Fund is not open for business.
Share price is calculated by dividing a Fund’s net assets by its shares outstanding. In calculating its NAV, each Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. If such information is not available for a security held by a Fund, is determined to be unreliable, or (to the Adviser’s knowledge) does not reflect a significant event occurring after the close of the market on which the security principally trades (but before the close of trading on the NYSE), the security will be valued at fair value estimates by the Adviser under guidelines established by the Board of Trustees. Foreign securities, currencies and other assets denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. Dollars at the exchange rate of such currencies against the U.S. Dollar, as provided by an independent pricing service or reporting agency. Each Fund also relies on a pricing service in circumstances where the U.S. securities markets exceed a pre-determined threshold to value foreign securities held in a Fund’s portfolio. The pricing service, its methodology or the threshold may change from time to time. Debt obligations with maturities of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost.
Fair Value Pricing. Securities are priced at a fair value as determined by the Adviser, under the oversight of the Board of Trustees, when reliable market quotations are not readily available, the Funds' pricing service does not provide a valuation for such securities, the Funds' pricing service provides a valuation that in the judgment of the Adviser does not represent fair value, the Adviser believes that the market price is stale, or an event that affects the value of an instrument (a “Significant Event”) has occurred since closing prices were established, but before the time as of which a Fund calculates its NAV. Examples of Significant Events may include: (1) events that relate to a single issuer or to an entire market sector; (2) significant fluctuations in domestic or foreign markets; or (3) occurrences not tied directly to the securities markets, such as natural disasters, armed conflicts, or significant government actions. If such Significant Events occur, the Funds may value the instruments at fair value, taking into account such events when it calculates each Fund’s NAV. Fair value determinations are made in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. In addition, the Funds may also fair value an instrument if trading in a particular instrument is halted and does not resume prior to the closing of the exchange or other market.
Attempts to determine the fair value of securities introduce an element of subjectivity to the pricing of securities. As a result, the price of a security determined through fair valuation techniques may differ from the price quoted or published by other sources and may not accurately reflect the market value of the security when trading resumes. If a reliable market quotation becomes available for a security formerly valued through fair valuation techniques, Rafferty compares the market quotation to the fair value price to evaluate the effectiveness of the Funds' fair valuation procedures and will use that market value in the next calculation of NAV.
Rule 12b-1 Fees
The Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services.
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No 12b-1 fees are currently paid by a Fund, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of each Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
Short-Term Trading
Rafferty expects a significant portion of the Funds' assets to come from professional money managers and investors who use the Funds as part of “asset allocation” and “market timing” investment strategies. These strategies often call for frequent trading to take advantage of anticipated changes in market conditions. Frequent trading of Shares could increase the rate of creations and redemptions of Shares and a Fund’s portfolio turnover, which could involve correspondingly adverse tax consequences to a Fund’s shareholders. Although each Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase orders or suspend the offering of Shares, each Fund does not currently impose any trading restrictions on frequent trading nor actively monitor for trading abuses.
Creations, Redemptions and Transaction Fees
Creation Units. Investors such as market makers, large investors and institutions who wish to deal in Creation Units directly with a Fund must have entered into an authorized participant agreement with the principal underwriter and the transfer agent, or purchase through a dealer that has entered into such an agreement. These investors are known as “Authorized Participants.” Set forth below is a brief description of the procedures applicable to the purchase and redemption of Creation Units.
Purchase of a Fund. To purchase Creation Units directly from a Fund, you must deposit with the Fund a basket of securities and/or cash. Each Business Day, prior to the opening of trading on the Exchange, an agent of the Fund (“Index Receipt Agent”) will make available through the NSCC a list of the names and number of shares of each security, if any, to be included in that day’s creation basket (“Deposit Securities”). The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Creation Unit will change from time to time. Each Fund reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount to be added to the Balancing Amount (defined below) to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, eligible for transfer through the clearing process (discussed below) or the Federal Reserve System or eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting. For such custom orders, “cash in lieu” may be added to the Balancing Amount (defined below). The Balancing Amount and any “cash in lieu” must be paid to the Trust on or before the third Business Day following the Transmittal Date. You must also pay a Transaction Fee, described below, in cash.
In addition to the in-kind deposit of securities, Authorized Participants will either pay to, or receive from, a Fund an amount of cash referred to as the “Balancing Amount.” The Balancing Amount is the amount equal to the differential, if any, between the market value of the Deposit Securities and the NAV of a Creation Unit. Each Fund will publish, on a daily basis, information about the previous day’s Balancing Amount.
All purchase orders for Creation Units must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. Purchase orders will be processed either through a manual clearing process run at the DTC (“Manual Clearing Process”) or through an enhanced clearing process (“Enhanced Clearing Process”) that is available only to those DTC participants that also are participants in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). Authorized Participants that do not use the Enhanced Clearing Process will be charged a higher Transaction Fee (discussed below). A purchase order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent’s automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day’s NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day.
Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Trust cash in an amount up to 115% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities. Any such transaction effected with the Trust must be effected using the Manual Clearing Process consistent with the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement.
Redemption from a Fund. Redemption proceeds will be paid either in cash or in-kind with a basket of securities (“Redemption Securities”). Purchase orders will be processed either through a Manual Clearing Process or through Enhanced Clearing Process that is available only to those DTC participants that also are participants in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC. Authorized Participants that do not use the Enhanced Clearing Process will be charged a higher Transaction Fee (discussed below). In most cases, Redemption Securities will be the same as Deposit Securities on a given day. There will be times, however, when the Deposit and Redemption Securities differ. The composition of the Redemption Securities will be available through the NSCC. Each Fund reserves the right to honor a redemption request with a non-conforming redemption basket.
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If the value of a Creation Unit is higher than the value of the Redemption Securities, you will receive from a Fund a Balancing Amount in cash. If the value of a Creation Unit is lower than the value of the Redemption Securities, you will be required to pay to the Fund a Balancing Amount in cash. If you are receiving a Balancing Amount, the amount due will be reduced by the amount of the applicable Transaction Fee.
As with purchases, redemptions may be processed either through the Manual Clearing Process or the Enhanced Clearing Process. A redemption order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent’s automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day’s NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day.
An investor may request a redemption in cash, which a Fund may in its sole discretion permit. Investors that elect to receive cash in lieu of one or more of the Redemption Securities are subject to an additional charge. Redemptions of Creation Units for cash (when available) and/or outside of the Enhanced Clearing Process also require the payment of an additional charge.
Transaction Fees on Creation and Redemption Transactions. Each Fund will impose Transaction Fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. There is a fixed and a variable component to the total Transaction Fee on transactions in Creation Units. A fixed Transaction Fee is applicable to each creation and redemption transaction, regardless of the number of Creation Units transacted. Purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units of a Fund effected through the Manual Clearing Process are required to pay an additional charge to compensate for brokerage and other expenses. In addition, purchasers of Creation Units are responsible for payment of the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Trust. A variable Transaction Fee based upon the value of each Creation Unit also is applicable to each purchase or redemption transaction. However, in no instance will the fees charged exceed 2% of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction. Redeemers of Creation Units are responsible for the costs of transferring securities from the Trust. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may pay additional fees for such services. In addition, Rafferty may, from time to time, at its own expense, compensate purchasers of Creation Units who have purchased substantial amounts of Creation Units and other financial institutions for administrative or marketing services.
The table below summarizes the components of the Transaction Fees.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Fixed Transaction Fee Maximum
Additional
Charge for
Purchases
and
Redemptions*
  In-Kind Cash
NSCC Outside NSCC Outside
NSCC
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
* As a percentage of the amount invested.
How to Buy and Sell Shares
Each Fund issues and redeems Shares only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.”
Most investors will buy and sell Shares of each Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of each Fund that are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. Although Shares are generally purchased and sold in “round lots” of 100 Shares, brokerage firms typically permit investors to purchase or sell Shares in smaller “oddlots” at no per-share price differential.
When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser may pay the intermediary for educational training programs, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other administrative services related to a Fund. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
The Funds’ Exchange trading symbols are as follows:
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Fund Symbol
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares  
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares  
Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share.
Investors may acquire Shares directly from each Fund, and shareholders may tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, only in Creation Units, as discussed in the “Creations, Redemptions and Transaction Fees” section above. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares.
For information about acquiring Shares through a secondary market purchase, please contact your broker. If you wish to sell Shares of a Fund on the secondary market, you must do so through your broker.
Book Entry. Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. DTC or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares of the Funds and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.
Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.
Management of the Funds
Rafferty provides investment management services to the Funds. Rafferty has been managing investment companies since 1997. Rafferty is located at 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019. As of March 31, 2017, the Adviser had approximately $12.5 billion in assets under management.
Under an investment advisory agreement between the Trust and Rafferty, each Fund pays Rafferty a fee at an annualized rate based on a percentage of its average daily net assets of 0.75% for the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares and 0.60% for the Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares.
A discussion regarding the basis on which the Board of Trustees approved the investment advisory agreement for the Funds will be included in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report for the period ended April 30, 2017.
Rafferty has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with each Fund. Under this Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse each Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that a Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% for the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares and 0.80% for the Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).
Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by a Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. Solely at Rafferty’s option and discretion, Rafferty may pay, reimburse or otherwise assume one or more of the excluded expenses, in which case such expense will be subject to reimbursement by Rafferty in accordance with the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Paul Brigandi and Tony Ng are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds. An investment trading team of Rafferty employees assists Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng in the day-to-day management of the Funds subject to their primary responsibility and oversight. The Portfolio Managers work with the investment trading team to decide the target allocation of each Fund’s investments and on a day-to-day basis, an individual portfolio trader executes transactions for the Funds consistent with the target allocation. The members of the investment trading team rotate periodically among the various series of the Trust, including the Funds, so that no single individual is assigned to a specific Fund for extended periods of time.
Mr. Brigandi has been a Portfolio Manager at Rafferty since June 2004. Mr. Brigandi was previously involved in the equity trading training program for Fleet Boston Financial Corporation from August 2002 to April 2004. Mr. Brigandi is a 2002 graduate of Fordham University.
Mr. Ng has been a Portfolio Manager at Rafferty since April 2006. Mr. Ng was previously a Team Leader in the Trading Assistant Group with Goldman Sachs from 2004 to 2006. He was employed with Deutsche Asset Management from 1998 to 2004. Mr. Ng graduated from State University at Buffalo in 1998.
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The Funds' Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") provides additional information about the investment team members’ compensation, other accounts they manage and their ownership of securities in the Funds.
Portfolio Holdings
A description of the Funds' policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds' portfolio securities is available in the Funds' SAI.
other service providers
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Distributor”) serves as the Funds' distributor. U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC serves as the Funds' administrator. Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”) serves as the Funds' transfer agent, fund accountant, custodian and index receipt agent. The Distributor is not affiliated with Rafferty or BNYM.
Distributions
Fund Distributions. Each Fund pays out dividends from its net investment income, and distributes any net capital gains, if any, to its shareholders at least annually. Each Fund is authorized to declare and pay capital gain distributions in additional Shares or in cash. A Fund may have extremely high portfolio turnover, which may cause it to generate significant amounts of taxable income. Each Fund will generally need to distribute net short-term capital gain to satisfy certain tax requirements. As a result of the Funds' high portfolio turnover, they could need to make larger and/or more frequent distributions than traditional unleveraged ETFs.
Dividend Reinvestment Service. Brokers may make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service (“Reinvestment Service”) available to their customers who are shareholders of a Fund. If the Reinvestment Service is used with respect to a Fund, its distributions of both net income and capital gains will automatically be reinvested in additional and fractional Shares thereof purchased in the secondary market. Without the Reinvestment Service, investors will receive Fund distributions in cash, except as noted above under “Fund Distributions.” To determine whether the Reinvestment Service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using the service, consult your broker. Fund shareholders should be aware that brokers may require them to adhere to specific procedures and timetables to use the Reinvestment Service.
Taxes
As with any investment, you should consider the tax consequences of buying, holding, and disposing of Shares. The tax information in this Prospectus is only a general summary of some important federal tax considerations generally affecting a Fund and its shareholders. No attempt is made to present a complete explanation of the federal tax treatment of the Funds' activities, and this discussion is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Accordingly, potential investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers for more detailed information and for information regarding any state, local, or foreign taxes applicable to the Funds and to an investment in Shares.
Fund distributions to you and your sale of your Shares will have tax consequences to you unless you hold your Shares through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement arrangement, such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or 401(k) plan.
Each Fund intends to qualify each taxable year for taxation as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. If a Fund so qualifies and satisfies certain distribution requirements, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on income that is distributed in a timely manner to its shareholders in the form of income dividends or capital gain distributions.
Taxes on Distributions. Dividends from a Fund’s investment company taxable income generally, the sum of net investment income, the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions, if any, all determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid will be taxable to you as ordinary income to the extent of its earnings and profits, whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. However, dividends a Fund pays to you that are attributable to its “qualified dividend income” (i.e., dividends it receives on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations with respect to which it satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions) generally will be taxed to you, if you are an individual, trust, or estate and satisfy those restrictions with respect to your Shares, for federal income tax purposes, at the rates of 15% or 20% for such shareholders with taxable income exceeding certain thresholds (which will be indexed for inflation annually). A portion of a Fund’s dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations the eligible portion may not exceed the
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aggregate dividends the Fund receives from domestic corporations subject to federal income tax (excluding real estate investment trusts) and excludes dividends from foreign corporations subject to similar restrictions; however, dividends a corporate shareholder deducts pursuant to that deduction are subject indirectly to the federal alternative minimum tax. No Fund expects to earn a significant amount of income that would qualify for those maximum rates or that deduction.
Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) that it recognizes on sales or exchanges of capital assets (“capital gain distributions”), if any, will be taxable to you as long-term capital gains, at the maximum rates mentioned above if you are an individual, trust, or estate, regardless of your holding period for the Shares on which the distributions are paid and regardless of whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. A Fund’s capital gain distributions may vary considerably from one year to the next as a result of its investment activities and cash flows and the performance of the markets in which it invests. No Fund expects to earn a significant amount of net capital gain.
Distributions in excess of a Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, if any, first will reduce your adjusted tax basis in your Shares in the Fund and, after that basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain. That capital gain will be long-term capital gain, and thus will be taxed at the maximum rates mentioned above if you are an individual, trust, or estate if the distributions are attributable to Shares you held for more than one year.
Investors should be aware that the price of Shares at any time may reflect the amount of a forthcoming dividend or capital gain distribution, so if they purchase Shares shortly before the record date therefor, they will pay full price for the Shares and receive some part of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution even though it represents a partial return of invested capital.
In general, distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year when they are paid. However, certain distributions paid in January may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.
Because of the possibility of high portfolio turnover, the Funds may generate significant amounts of taxable income. Accordingly, the Funds may need to make larger and/or more frequent distributions than traditional unleveraged ETFs. A substantial portion of that income typically will be short-term capital gain, which will generally be treated as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders.
Fund distributions to tax-deferred or qualified plans, such as an IRA, retirement plan or pension plan, generally will not be taxable. However, distributions from such plans will be taxable to the individual participant notwithstanding the character of the income earned by the qualified plan. Please consult a tax adviser for a more complete explanation of the federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in a Fund through such a plan.
Taxes When Shares are Sold. Generally, you will recognize taxable gain or loss if you sell or otherwise dispose of your Shares. Any gain arising from such a disposition generally will be treated as long-term capital gain if you held the Shares for more than one year, taxable at the maximum rates (15% or 20%) mentioned above if you are an individual, trust, or estate; otherwise, the gain will be treated as short-term capital gain. However, any capital loss arising from the disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of capital gain distributions, if any, received with respect to those Shares. In addition, all or a portion of any loss recognized on a sale or exchange of Shares of a Fund will be disallowed to the extent other Shares of the same Fund are purchased (whether through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of the sale or exchange; in that event, the basis in the newly purchased Shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Holders of Creation Units. A person who purchases Shares of a Fund by exchanging securities for a Creation Unit generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Unit and the person’s aggregate basis in the exchanged securities, adjusted for any Balancing Amount paid or received. A shareholder who redeems a Creation Unit generally will recognize gain or loss to the same extent and in the same manner as described in the immediately preceding paragraph.
Miscellaneous. Backup Withholding. A Fund must withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury 28% of dividends and capital gain distributions otherwise payable to any individual or certain other non-corporate shareholder who fails to certify that the social security or other taxpayer identification number furnished to the Fund is correct or who furnishes an incorrect number (together with the withholding described in the next sentence, “backup withholding”). Withholding at that rate also is required from a Fund’s dividends and capital gain distributions otherwise payable to such a shareholder who is subject to backup withholding for any other reason. Backup withholding is not an additional tax, and any amounts so withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s federal income tax liability or refunded.
Additional Tax. An individual must pay a 3.8% federal tax on the lesser of (1) the individual’s “net investment income,” which generally includes dividends, interest, and net gains from the disposition of investment property (including dividends and capital gain distributions a Fund pays and net gains realized on the sale or redemption of Shares), or (2) the excess of the individual’s “modified adjusted gross income” over a threshold amount ($250,000 for married persons filing jointly and $200,000 for single taxpayers). This tax is in addition to any other taxes due on that income. A similar tax will apply for those years to estates and trusts. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers regarding the effect, if any, this provision may have on their investment in Fund shares.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 36

 

Basis Determination. A shareholder who wants to use the average basis method for determining basis in Shares he or she acquires after December 31, 2011 (“Covered Shares”), must elect to do so in writing (which may be electronic) with the broker through which he or she purchased the Shares. A shareholder who wishes to use a different IRS-acceptable method for basis determination (e.g., a specific identification method) may elect to do so. Fund shareholders are urged to consult with their brokers regarding the application of the basis determination rules to them.
You may also be subject to state and local taxes on Fund distributions and dispositions of Shares.
Non-U.S. Shareholders. “A “non-U.S. shareholder” is an investor that, for federal tax purposes, is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign corporation or a foreign estate or trust. Except where discussed otherwise, the following disclosure assumes that a non-U.S. shareholder’s ownership of Shares is not effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. shareholder in the United States and does not address non-U.S. shareholders who are present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may be different from those described herein. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in a Fund.
Withholding. Dividends paid by a Fund to non-U.S. shareholders will be subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income (other than “qualified interest income” or “qualified short-term capital gains,” as described below). In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN (or substitute form) certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder who provides an IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation’s earnings and profits attributable to such dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate).
A non-U.S. shareholder who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate. See the discussion of backup withholding under “Miscellaneous” above.
Exemptions from Withholding. In general, federal income tax will not apply to gain realized on the sale or other disposition of Shares or to any Fund distributions reported as capital gain dividends, short-term capital gain dividends, or interest-related dividends.
“ Short-term capital gain dividends” are dividends that are attributable to “qualified short-term gain” a Fund realizes (generally, the excess of a Fund’s net short-term capital gain over long-term capital loss for a taxable year, computed with certain adjustments). “Interest-related dividends” are dividends that are attributable to “qualified net interest income” from U.S. sources. Depending on its circumstances, a Fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as short-term capital gain dividends and interest-related dividends and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. To qualify for the exemption, a non-U.S. shareholder will need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or substitute form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if a Fund designates the payment as a short-term capital gain dividend or an interest-related dividend. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). Under FATCA, “foreign financial institutions” (“FFIs”) or “non-financial foreign entities” (“NFFEs”) that are Fund shareholders may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on (1) income dividends, and (2) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds of a redemption of Shares a Fund pays after December 31, 2018. As discussed more fully in the Funds' SAI under “Taxes,” the FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided (a) by an FFI, if it reports certain information regarding direct and indirect ownership of financial accounts U.S. persons hold with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it certifies as such and, in certain circumstances, that (i) it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) it does have such owners and reports information relating to them to the withholding agent. The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (“IGAs”) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA; entities in those countries may be required to comply with the terms of the IGA instead of Treasury regulations. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax advisers regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation and the impact thereof on their investment in a Fund.
More information about taxes is in the Funds' SAI.
Additional Information
The Trust enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, which may include, among others, the Funds' investment adviser, custodian, and transfer agent, who provide services to the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to any such contractual arrangements and are not intended beneficiaries of those contractual arrangements, and those contractual arrangements
37 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

are not intended to create in any shareholder any right to enforce them against the service providers or to seek any remedy under them against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the Trust.
This Prospectus provides information concerning the Funds that you should consider in determining whether to purchase Fund shares. Neither this Prospectus nor the SAI is intended, or should be read, to be or give rise to an agreement or contract between the Trust or the Funds and any investor, or to give rise to any rights in any shareholder or other person other than any rights under federal or state law that may not be waived.
Index Licensors
Bloomberg Barclays Index. The Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares, (collectively “the Barclays Fund),” is/are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Barclays Capital. Barclays Capital makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Barclays Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Barclays Fund particularly or the ability of the Barclays Capital Index to track general bond market performance. Barclays Capital’s only relationship to Direxion and the Barclays Fund is/are the licensing of the Barclays Capital Index which is determined, composed and calculated by Barclays Capital without regard to Direxion or the Barclays Fund. Barclays Capital has no obligation to take the needs of Direxion, the Barclays Fund or the owners of the Barclays Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Barclays Capital Index. Barclays Capital is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Barclays Fund to be issued. Barclays Capital has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Barclays Fund.
BARCLAYS CAPITAL SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY TO LICENSEE OR TO THIRD PARTIES FOR THE QUALITY, ACCURACY AND/OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN OR FOR INTERRUPTIONS IN THE DELIVERY OF THE INDEX. BARCLAYS CAPITAL MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, OWNERS OF THE FUND(S) OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. BARCLAYS CAPITAL MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. BARCLAYS CAPITAL SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN.
J.P. Morgan Index. The Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares (the “Financial Product”) is not in any way sponsored, sold or promoted by JPMorgan Chase & Co and/or any of its affiliates (collectively “J.P. Morgan”). J.P. Morgan is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, any aspect of the structuring of any attribute of the Financial Product, the determination of the timing of the offering of the Financial Product, the pricing of the Financial Product, or in the manner of operation of the Financial Product. J.P. Morgan has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Financial Product. All information provided herein regarding the J.P. Morgan Indexes (the “Indices”), including without limitation, the levels of the Indices, is provided for informational purposes only. J.P. Morgan does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the Indices and/or the completeness or accuracy or any other information furnished in connection with the Indices. The Indices are the exclusive property of J.P. Morgan and J.P. Morgan retains all property rights therein. Nothing herein constitutes, or forms part of, an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument, including of the Financial Product, or as an official confirmation of any transaction, or a valuation or price for the Indices or the Financial Product. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as a J.P. Morgan recommendation to adopt any investment strategy or as legal, tax of accounting advice. J.P. Morgan makes no express or implied representations or warranties with respect to the Indices and/or the Financial Product, including but not limited to regarding the advisability of investing in securities or financial products generally and/or the Financial Products specifically, or the advisability of any of the Indices to track investment opportunities in the financial markets or otherwise achieve their objective. J.P. Morgan hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Indices and the Financial Product. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall J.P. Morgan have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) to any person, including but not limited to, for any statements contained in any offering document or any other materials used to describe the Indices and/or the Financial Product, any error in the pricing or otherwise, of the Indices and/or the Financial Product and J.P. Morgan shall not be under any obligation to advise any person of any error therein.
Financial Highlights
No financial information is available for the Funds because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 38

 

Prospectus
1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor New York, New York 10019 866-476-7523
More Information on the Direxion Shares Etf Trust
Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”):
The Funds' SAI contains more information on each Fund and its investment policies. The SAI is incorporated in this Prospectus by reference (meaning it is legally part of this Prospectus). A current SAI is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders:
The Funds' reports will provide additional information on the Funds' investment holdings, performance data and a letter discussing the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Funds' performance during that period.
To Obtain the SAI or Fund Reports Free of Charge:
Write to: Direxion Shares ETF Trust
  1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor
New York, New York 10019
Call: 866-476-7523
By Internet: www.direxioninvestments.com
These documents and other information about the Funds can be reviewed and copied at the SEC Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Reports and other information about the Funds may be viewed on screen or downloaded from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of these documents may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.
SEC File Number: 811-22201


Direxion Shares ETF Trust
Statement of Additional Information
1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor New York, New York 10019 866-476-7523
www.direxioninvestments.com
The Direxion Shares ETF Trust (“Trust”) is an investment company that offers shares of a variety of exchange-traded funds to the public. The shares of the funds offered in this Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), upon commencement of operations, will be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. This SAI relates to the funds listed below (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”).
2X Bull Funds
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares
The Funds seek daily leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. Each Fund attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to two times the performance of its underlying index. The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Investors should note that:
(1) The Funds pursue daily leveraged investment objectives, which means that the Funds are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Funds magnify the performance of their underlying index.
(2) The pursuit of daily investment objectives means that the return of a Fund for a period longer than a full trading day will be the product of the series of daily leveraged returns for each trading day during the relevant period. As a consequence, especially in periods of market volatility, the volatility of the underlying index may affect a Fund’s return as much, or more than, the return of the underlying index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. During periods of high volatility, the Funds may not perform as expected and the Funds may have losses when an investor may have expected gains if the Funds are held for a period that is different than one trading day.
The Funds are not suitable for all investors. The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Investors in the Funds should:
(a) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage;
(b) understand the consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results; and
(c) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments.
Investors who do not understand the Funds or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments should not buy the Funds.
There is no assurance that any Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
If a Fund’s underlying index moves more than 50% on a given trading day in a direction adverse to a Fund, a Fund’s investors would lose all of their money. The Funds’ investment adviser, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, will attempt to position a Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not lose more than 90% of its net asset value on a given trading day. The cost of such downside protection will be limitations on a Fund’s gains. As a consequence, a Fund’s portfolio may not be responsive to underlying index movements beyond 45% on a given trading day, whether that movement is favorable or adverse to a Fund. For example, if a Fund’s underlying index was to gain 50%, that Fund might be limited to a daily gain of 90%, which corresponds to 200% of an underlying index gain of 45%, rather than 200% of an underlying index gain of 50%.
This SAI, dated April 26, 2017, is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Funds' prospectus dated April 26, 2017 (“Prospectus”). This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Prospectus. In other words, it is legally part of the Prospectus. To receive a copy of the Prospectus, without charge, write or call the Trust at the address or telephone number listed above.
April 26, 2017

 

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The Direxion Shares ETF Trust
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized on April 23, 2008 and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”). The Trust currently consists of 142 separate series or “Funds.”
Each Fund seeks to provide daily leveraged investment results, before fees and expenses, which correspond to 200% of the performance of an underlying index.
The correlation sought by each Fund is 200% of the returns of a corresponding underlying index. For example, the investment objective for the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares is 200% of the daily total return of the performance of the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index. If, on a given day, the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index gains 1%, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares is designed to gain approximately 2% (which is equal to 200% of the 1% index gain). Conversely, if the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index loses 1% on a given day, the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares is designed to lose approximately 2% (which is equal to 200% of the 1% index loss).
Shares of each Fund (“Shares”) are issued and redeemed only in large blocks called “Creation Units.” Most investors will buy and sell Shares of each Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. Although Shares are generally purchased and sold in “round lots” of 100 Shares, brokerage firms typically permit investors to purchase or sell Shares in smaller “odd lots,” at no per-share price differential. Investors may acquire Shares directly from each Fund, and shareholders may tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, only in Creation Units of 50,000 Shares, as discussed in the “Purchases and Redemptions” section below.
The Shares offered in this SAI, upon commencement of operations, will be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange).
The Funds seek daily leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.
(1) Each Fund pursues a daily leveraged investment objective, which means that the Funds are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because each Fund magnifies the performance of its underlying index.
(2) The pursuit of daily leveraged investment objectives means that the return of a Fund for a period longer than a full trading day will be the product of the series of daily leveraged returns for each trading day during the relevant period. As a consequence, especially in periods of market volatility, the volatility of the underlying index may affect a Fund’s return as much or more than the return of the underlying index. Further, the return for investors that invest for a period different than a trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for a period different then a full trading day. During periods of high volatility, the Funds may not perform as expected and the Funds may have losses when an investor may have expected gains if the Funds are held for a period that is different than one trading day.
The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Investors in the Funds should:
(a) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage;
(b) understand the consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results; and
(c) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments.
Investors who do not understand the Funds or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments should not buy the Funds. There is no assurance that any of the Funds offered in this SAI will achieve their objectives and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
If a Fund’s underlying index moves more than 50% on a given trading day in a direction adverse to the Fund, the Fund’s investors would lose all of their money. Rafferty will attempt to position each Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not lose more than 90% of its net asset value (“NAV”) on a given trading day. The cost of such downside protection will be limitations on a Fund’s gains. As a consequence, a Fund’s portfolio may not be responsive to underlying index movements beyond 45% on a given trading day, whether that movement is favorable or adverse to the Fund. For example, if a Fund’s underlying index was to gain 50%, that Fund might be limited to a daily gain of 90%, which corresponds to 200% of an underlying index gain of 45%, rather than 200% of an underlying index gain of 50%.
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Classification of the Funds
Each Fund is a “non-diversified” series of the Trust pursuant to the 1940 Act. A Fund is considered “non-diversified” because a relatively high percentage of its assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of issuers. To the extent that a Fund assumes large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers, the Fund’s NAV may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a diversified company as a result of changes in the financial condition or in the market’s assessment of the issuers, and the Fund may be more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified company.
Exchange Listing and Trading
The Shares, upon commencement of operations, will be listed and traded on the Exchange and may trade at prices that differ to some degree from their NAV. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares of each Fund will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the Shares of a Fund from listing if (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of a Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the Shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the value of the underlying index is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of such Fund.
As is the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of the Shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of a Fund.
The trading prices of each Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from each Fund’s daily NAV per share and are affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC ("Rafferty" or "Adviser") may, from time to time, make payments to certain market makers in the Trust’s shares. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of each Fund, also known as the “intraday indicative value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which a Fund is listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund as a particular point in time, nor the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Funds. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the U.S. Each Fund is not involved in, nor responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representations or warranty as to its accuracy.
Investment Policies and Techniques
Each Fund seeks investment results that correspond to 200% of the performance of an underlying index, before fees and expenses, as follows:
Fund Index
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury
Inflation-Linked Bond Index (Series L)
With the exception of limitations described in the “Investment Restrictions” section, each Fund may engage in the investment strategies discussed below. There is no assurance that any of these strategies or any other strategies and methods of investment available to a Fund will result in the achievement of the Fund’s investment objective.
This section provides a description of the securities in which a Fund may invest to achieve its investment objective, the strategies it may employ and the corresponding risks of such securities and strategies. The greatest risk of investing in an exchange-traded fund ("ETF") is that its returns will fluctuate and you could lose money.
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Asset-Backed Securities
A Fund may invest in asset-backed securities of any rating or maturity. Asset-backed securities are securities issued by trusts and special purpose entities that are backed by pools of assets, such as automobile and credit-card receivables and home equity loans, which pass through the payments on the underlying obligations to the security holders (less servicing fees paid to the originator or fees for any credit enhancement). Typically, the originator of the loan or accounts receivable paper transfers it to a specially created trust, which repackages it as securities with a minimum denomination and a specific term. The securities are then privately placed or publicly offered. Examples include certificates for automobile receivables and so-called plastic bonds, backed by credit card receivables.
The value of an asset-backed security is affected by, among other things, changes in the market’s perception of the asset backing the security, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the loan pool, the originator of the loans and the financial institution providing any credit enhancement. Payments of principal and interest passed through to holders of asset-backed securities are frequently supported by some form of credit enhancement, such as a letter of credit, surety bond, limited guarantee by another entity or by having a priority to certain of the borrower’s other assets. The degree of credit enhancement varies, and generally applies to only a portion of the asset-backed security’s par value. Value is also affected if any credit enhancement has been exhausted.
Bank Obligations
Money Market Instruments. A Fund may invest in bankers’ acceptances, certificates of deposit, demand and time deposits, savings shares and commercial paper of domestic banks and savings and loans that have assets of at least $1 billion and capital, surplus, and undivided profits of over $100 million as of the close of their most recent fiscal year, or instruments that are insured by the Bank Insurance Fund or the Savings Institution Insurance Fund of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). A Fund also may invest in high quality, short-term, corporate debt obligations, including variable rate demand notes, having terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days. Because there is no secondary trading market in demand notes, the inability of the issuer to make required payments could impact adversely a Fund’s ability to resell when it deems advisable to do so.
A Fund may invest in foreign money market instruments, which typically involve more risk than investing in U.S. money market instruments. See “Foreign Securities” below. These risks include, among others, higher brokerage commissions, less public information, and less liquid markets in which to sell and meet large shareholder redemption requests.
Bankers’ Acceptances. Bankers’ acceptances generally are negotiable instruments (time drafts) drawn to finance the export, import, domestic shipment or storage of goods. They are termed “accepted” when a bank writes on the draft its agreement to pay it at maturity, using the word “accepted.” The bank is, in effect, unconditionally guaranteeing to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date. The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an asset, or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of interest for a specified maturity.
Certificates of Deposit (“CDs”). The FDIC is an agency of the U.S. government that insures the deposits of certain banks and savings and loan associations up to $250,000 per deposit. The interest on such deposits may not be insured to the extent this limit is exceeded. Current federal regulations also permit such institutions to issue insured negotiable CDs in amounts of $250,000 or more without regard to the interest rate ceilings on other deposits. To remain fully insured, these investments must be limited to $250,000 per insured bank or savings and loan association.
Commercial Paper. Commercial paper includes notes, drafts or similar instruments payable on demand or having a maturity at the time of issuance not exceeding nine months, exclusive of days of grace or any renewal thereof. A Fund may invest in commercial paper rated A-l or A-2 by Standard & Poor’s® Ratings Services (“S&P®”) or Prime-1 or Prime-2 by Moody’s Investors Service®, Inc. (“Moody’s”), and in other lower quality commercial paper.
Caps, Floors and Collars
A Fund may enter into caps, floors and collars relating to securities, interest rates or currencies. In a cap or floor, the buyer pays a premium (which is generally, but not always, a single up-front amount) for the right to receive payments from the other party if, on specified payment dates, the applicable rate, index or asset is greater than (in the case of a cap) or less than (in the case of a floor) an agreed level, for the period involved and the applicable notional amount. A collar is a combination instrument in which the same party buys a cap and sells a floor. Depending upon the terms of the cap and floor comprising the collar, the premiums will partially, or entirely, offset each other. The notional amount of a cap, collar or floor is used to calculate payments, but is not itself exchanged. A Fund may be both a buyer and seller of these instruments. In addition, a Fund may engage in combinations of put and call options on securities (also commonly known as collars), which may involve physical delivery of securities. Like swaps, caps, floors and collars are very flexible products. The terms of the transactions entered by the Funds may vary from the typical examples described here.
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Corporate Debt Securities
A Fund may invest in investment grade corporate debt securities of any rating or maturity. Investment grade corporate bonds are those rated BBB or better by S&P® or Baa or better by Moody’s. Securities rated BBB by S&P® are considered investment grade, but Moody’s considers securities rated Baa to have speculative characteristics. See Appendix A for a description of corporate bond ratings. A Fund may also invest in unrated securities.
Corporate debt securities are fixed-income securities issued by businesses to finance their operations, although corporate debt instruments may also include bank loans to companies. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities, with the primary difference being their maturities and secured or un-secured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and is usually unsecured.
The broad category of corporate debt securities includes debt issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt may be rated investment-grade or below investment-grade and may carry variable or floating rates of interest.
Because of the wide range of types and maturities of corporate debt securities, as well as the range of creditworthiness of its issuers, corporate debt securities have widely varying potentials for return and risk profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated investment grade may have a modest return on principal, but carries relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal, but carries a relatively high degree of risk.
Corporate debt securities carry both credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk that a Fund could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it is due. Some corporate debt securities that are rated below investment grade are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher-quality debt securities. The credit risk of a particular issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (senior) debt securities have a higher priority than lower ranking (subordinated) securities. This means that the issuer might not make payments on subordinated securities while continuing to make payments on senior securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of higher-ranking senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of more junior securities. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than corporate debt securities with shorter terms.
Cybersecurity Risk
Since the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds may be more susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cybersecurity. A cybersecurity incident may refer to either intentional or unintentional events that allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause a Fund or a Fund service provider to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. A cybersecurity incident could, among other things, result in the loss or theft of customer data or funds, customers or employees being unable to access electronic systems (“denial of services”), loss or theft of proprietary information or corporate data, physical damage to a computer or network system, or remediation costs associated with system repairs. Any of these results could have a substantial impact on the Funds. For example, if a cybersecurity incident results in a denial of service, Fund shareholders could lose access to their electronic accounts for an unknown period of time, and employees could be unable to access electronic systems to perform critical duties for the Funds, such as trading, NAV calculation, shareholder accounting or fulfillment of Fund share purchases and redemptions. Cybersecurity incidents could cause a Fund or the Funds' Adviser or distributor to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, or financial loss of a significant magnitude. They may also cause a Fund to violate applicable privacy and other laws. The Funds' service providers have established risk management systems that seek to reduce the risks associated with cybersecurity, and business continuity plans in the event there is a cybersecurity breach. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially since a Fund does not directly control the cybersecurity systems of the issuers of securities in which each Fund invests or the Funds' third party service providers (including the Funds' transfer agent and custodian).
Depositary Receipts
To the extent a Fund invests in stocks of foreign corporations, a Fund’s investment in such stocks may also be in the form of depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. Depositary receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are receipts typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) are receipts issued in Europe that evidence a similar ownership arrangement. Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) are receipts issued throughout the world that evidence a similar arrangement. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs,
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in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities.
Depositary receipts may be purchased through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and a depositary, whereas a depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the depositary security. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of such facilities and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts of the deposited securities.
Fund investments in depositary receipts, which include ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, are deemed to be investments in foreign securities for purposes of a Fund’s investment strategy.
Equity Securities
Common Stocks. A Fund may invest in common stocks. Common stocks represent the residual ownership interest in the issuer and are entitled to the income and increase in the value of the assets and business of the entity after all of its obligations and preferred stock are satisfied. Common stocks generally have voting rights. Common stocks fluctuate in price in response to many factors including historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the value of its assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity.
Convertible Securities. A Fund may invest in convertible securities that may be considered high yield securities. Convertible securities include corporate bonds, notes and preferred stock that can be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock of the same or a different issue within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or dividends paid on preferred stock until the convertible stock matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. While no securities investment is without some risk, investments in convertible securities generally entail less risk than the issuer’s common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security. The market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. While convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than nonconvertible debt securities of similar quality, they do enable the investor to benefit from increases in the market price of the underlying common stock. When investing in convertible securities, a Fund may invest in the lowest credit rating category.
Preferred Stock. A Fund may invest in preferred stock. A preferred stock blends the characteristics of a bond and common stock. It can offer the higher yield of a bond and has priority over common stock in equity ownership, but does not have the seniority of a bond and its participation in the issuer’s growth may be limited. Preferred stock has preference over common stock in the receipt of dividends and in any residual assets after payment to creditors if the issuer is dissolved. Although the dividend is set at a fixed annual rate, in some circumstances it can be changed or omitted by the issuer. When investing in preferred stocks, a Fund may invest in the lowest credit rating category.
Warrants and Rights. A Fund may purchase warrants and rights, which are instruments that permit a Fund to acquire, by subscription, the capital stock of a corporation at a set price, regardless of the market price for such stock. Warrants may be either perpetual or of limited duration, but they usually do not have voting rights or pay dividends. The market price of warrants is usually significantly less than the current price of the underlying stock. Thus, there is a greater risk that warrants might drop in value at a faster rate than the underlying stock.
Foreign Currencies
A Fund may invest directly and indirectly in foreign currencies. Investments in foreign currencies are subject to numerous risks not least being the fluctuation of foreign currency exchange rates with respect to the U.S. Dollar. Exchange rates fluctuate for a number of reasons.
Inflation. Exchange rates change to reflect changes in a currency’s buying power. Different countries experience different inflation rates due to different monetary and fiscal policies, different product and labor market conditions, and a host of other factors.
Trade Deficits. Countries with trade deficits tend to experience a depreciating currency. Inflation may be the cause of a trade deficit, making a country’s goods more expensive and less competitive and so reducing demand for its currency.
Interest Rates. High interest rates may raise currency values in the short term by making such currencies more attractive to investors. However, since high interest rates are often the result of high inflation, long-term results may be the opposite.
Budget Deficits and Low Savings Rates. Countries that run large budget deficits and save little of their national income tend to suffer a depreciating currency because they are forced to borrow abroad to finance their deficits. Payments of
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interest on this debt can inundate the currency markets with the currency of the debtor nation. Budget deficits also can indirectly contribute to currency depreciation if a government chooses inflationary measures to cope with its deficits and debt.
Political Factors. Political instability in a country can cause a currency to depreciate. Demand for a certain currency may fall if a country appears a less desirable place in which to invest and do business.
Government Control. Through their own buying and selling of currencies, the world’s central banks sometimes manipulate exchange rate movements. In addition, governments occasionally issue statements to influence people’s expectations about the direction of exchange rates, or they may instigate policies with an exchange rate target as the goal.
The value of a Fund’s investments is calculated in U.S. Dollars each day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund’s assets are invested in instruments denominated in foreign currencies and the currencies appreciate relative to the U.S. Dollar, a Fund’s NAV per share as expressed in U.S. Dollars (and, therefore, the value of your investment) should increase. If the U.S. Dollar appreciates relative to the other currencies, the opposite should occur.
The currency-related gains and losses experienced by a Fund will be based on changes in the value of portfolio securities attributable to currency fluctuations only in relation to the original purchase price of such securities as stated in U.S. Dollars. Gains or losses on shares of a Fund will be based on changes attributable to fluctuations in the NAV of such shares, expressed in U.S. Dollars, in relation to the original U.S. Dollar purchase price of the shares. The amount of appreciation or depreciation in a Fund’s assets also will be affected by the net investment income generated by the money market instruments in which each Fund invests and by changes in the value of the securities that are unrelated to changes in currency exchange rates.
A Fund may incur currency exchange costs when it sells instruments denominated in one currency and buys instruments denominated in another.
Currency Transactions. A Fund conducts currency exchange transactions on a spot basis. Currency transactions made on a spot basis are for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currency. A Fund also enters into forward currency contracts. See “Options, Futures and Other Derivative Strategies” below. A forward currency contract is an obligation to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are entered into on the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers.
A Fund may invest in a combination of forward currency contracts and U.S. Dollar-denominated market instruments in an attempt to obtain an investment result that is substantially the same as a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated instrument. This investment technique creates a “synthetic” position in the particular foreign-currency instrument whose performance the Adviser is trying to duplicate. For example, the combination of U.S. Dollar-denominated instruments with “long” forward currency exchange contracts creates a position economically equivalent to a money market instrument denominated in the foreign currency itself. Such combined positions are sometimes necessary when the money market in a particular foreign currency is small or relatively illiquid.
A Fund may invest in forward currency contracts to hedge either specific transactions (transaction hedging) or portfolio positions (position hedging). Transaction hedging is the purchase or sale of forward currency contracts with respect to specific receivables or payables of a Fund in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. Position hedging is the sale of a forward currency contract on a particular currency with respect to portfolio positions denominated or quoted in that currency.
A Fund may use forward currency contracts for position hedging if consistent with its policy of trying to expose its net assets to foreign currencies. A Fund is not required to enter into forward currency contracts for hedging purposes and it is possible that a Fund may not be able to hedge against a currency devaluation that is so generally anticipated that a Fund is unable to contract to sell the currency at a price above the devaluation level it anticipates. It also is possible, under certain circumstances, that a Fund may have to limit its currency transactions to qualify as a “regulated investment company” (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of Chapter 1 of Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). See “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes.”
Each Fund currently does not intend to enter into a forward currency contract with a term of more than one year, or to engage in position hedging with respect to the currency of a particular country to more than the aggregate market value (at the time the hedging transaction is entered into) of its portfolio securities denominated in (or quoted in or currently convertible into or directly related through the use of forward currency contracts in conjunction with money market instruments to) that particular currency.
At or before the maturity of a forward currency contract, a Fund may either sell a portfolio security and make delivery of the currency, or retain the security and terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the currency by buying an “offsetting” contract obligating it to buy, on the same maturity date, the same amount of the currency. If a Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, it may later enter into a new forward currency contract to sell the currency.
If a Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, it will incur a gain or loss to the extent that there has been movement in forward currency contract prices. If forward prices go down during the period between the date a Fund enters into a forward
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currency contract for the sale of a currency and the date it enters into an offsetting contract for the purchase of the currency, a Fund will realize a gain to the extent that the price of the currency it has agreed to sell exceeds the price of the currency it has agreed to buy. If forward prices go up, a Fund will suffer a loss to the extent the price of the currency it has agreed to buy exceeds the price of the currency it has agreed to sell.
Since a Fund invests in money market instruments denominated in foreign currencies, it may hold foreign currencies pending investment or conversion into U.S. Dollars. Although a Fund values its assets daily in U.S. Dollars, it does not convert its holdings of foreign currencies into U.S. Dollars on a daily basis. A Fund will convert its holdings from time to time, however, and incur the costs of currency conversion. Foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, but they do realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they buy and sell various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to a Fund at one rate, and offer to buy the currency at a lower rate if a Fund tries to resell the currency to the dealer.
Foreign Currency Options. A Fund may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities and may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies. A Fund may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies either on exchanges or in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market. A put option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a foreign currency at the exercise price until the option expires. A call option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to purchase the currency at the exercise price until the option expires. Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits which may limit the ability of a Fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options. OTC options differ from traded options in that they are two-party contracts with price and other terms negotiated between buyer and seller, and generally do not have as much market liquidity as exchange-traded options.
Foreign Currency Exchange-Related Securities
Foreign Currency Warrants. Foreign currency warrants such as Currency Exchange WarrantsSM (“CEWsSM”) are warrants which entitle the holder to receive from their issuer an amount of cash (generally, for warrants issued in the United States, in U.S. Dollars) which is calculated pursuant to a predetermined formula and based on the exchange rate between a specified foreign currency and the U.S. Dollar as of the exercise date of the warrant. Foreign currency warrants generally are exercisable upon their issuance and expire as of a specified date and time. Foreign currency warrants have been issued in connection with U.S. Dollar-denominated debt offerings by major corporate issuers in an attempt to reduce the foreign currency exchange risk which, from the point of view of prospective purchasers of the securities, is inherent in the international fixed-income marketplace. Foreign currency warrants may attempt to reduce the foreign exchange risk assumed by purchasers of a security by, for example, providing for a supplemental payment in the event that the U.S. Dollar depreciates against the value of a major foreign currency such as the Japanese yen or the Euro. The formula used to determine the amount payable upon exercise of a foreign currency warrant may make the warrant worthless unless the applicable foreign currency exchange rate moves in a particular direction (e.g., unless the U.S. Dollar appreciates or depreciates against the particular foreign currency to which the warrant is linked or indexed). Foreign currency warrants are severable from the debt obligations with which they may be offered, and may be listed on exchanges. Foreign currency warrants may be exercisable only in certain minimum amounts, and an investor wishing to exercise warrants who possesses less than the minimum number required for exercise may be required either to sell the warrants or to purchase additional warrants, thereby incurring additional transaction costs. In the case of any exercise of warrants, there may be a time delay between the time a holder of warrants gives instructions to exercise and the time the exchange rate relating to exercise is determined, during which time the exchange rate could change significantly, thereby affecting both the market and cash settlement values of the warrants being exercised. The expiration date of the warrants may be accelerated if the warrants should be delisted from an exchange or if their trading should be suspended permanently, which would result in the loss of any remaining “time value” of the warrants (i.e., the difference between the current market value and the exercise value of the warrants), and, in the case the warrants were “out-of-the-money,” in a total loss of the purchase price of the warrants.
Warrants are generally unsecured obligations of their issuers and are not standardized foreign currency options issued by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). Unlike foreign currency options issued by OCC, the terms of foreign exchange warrants generally will not be amended in the event of governmental or regulatory actions affecting exchange rates or in the event of the imposition of other regulatory controls affecting the international currency markets. The initial public offering price of foreign currency warrants is generally considerably in excess of the price that a commercial user of foreign currencies might pay in the interbank market for a comparable option involving significantly larger amounts of foreign currencies. Foreign currency warrants are subject to significant foreign exchange risk, including risks arising from complex political or economic factors.
Principal Exchange Rate Linked Securities. Principal exchange rate linked securities (“PERLsSM”) are debt obligations the principal on which is payable at maturity in an amount that may vary based on the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and a particular foreign currency at or about that time. The return on “standard” principal exchange rate linked securities is enhanced if the foreign currency to which the security is linked appreciates against the U.S. Dollar, and is adversely affected by increases in the foreign exchange value of the U.S. Dollar; “reverse” principal exchange rate linked securities are like the “standard” securities, except that their return is enhanced by increases in the value of the U.S. Dollar and adversely
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impacted by increases in the value of foreign currency. Interest payments on the securities are generally made in U.S. Dollars at rates that reflect the degree of foreign currency risk assumed or given up by the purchaser of the notes (i.e., at relatively higher interest rates if the purchaser has assumed some of the foreign exchange risk, or relatively lower interest rates if the issuer has assumed some of the foreign exchange risk, based on the expectations of the current market). Principal exchange rate linked securities may in limited cases be subject to acceleration of maturity (generally, not without the consent of the holders of the securities), which may have an adverse impact on the value of the principal payment to be made at maturity.
Performance Indexed Paper. Performance indexed paper (“PIPsSM”) is U.S. Dollar-denominated commercial paper the yield of which is linked to certain foreign exchange rate movements. The yield to the investor on performance indexed paper is established at maturity as a function of spot exchange rates between the U.S. Dollar and a designated currency as of or about that time (generally, the index maturity two days prior to maturity). The yield to the investor will be within a range stipulated at the time of purchase of the obligation, generally with a guaranteed minimum rate of return that is below, and a potential maximum rate of return that is above, market yields on U.S. Dollar-denominated commercial paper, with both the minimum and maximum rates of return on the investment corresponding to the minimum and maximum values of the spot exchange rate two business days prior to maturity.
Foreign Securities
A Fund may have both direct and indirect exposure through investments in stock index futures contracts, options on stock index futures contracts and options on securities and on stock indices to foreign securities. In most cases, the best available market for foreign securities will be on exchanges or in OTC markets located outside the United States.
Investing in foreign securities carries political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the United States. Investments in foreign securities also involve the risk of possible adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, limitation on or delays in the removal of funds or other assets of a fund, political or financial instability or diplomatic and other developments that could affect such investments. Foreign investments may be affected by actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S. investors, including the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on U.S. investment or on the ability to repatriate assets or to convert currency into U.S. Dollars. There may be a greater possibility of default by foreign governments or foreign-government sponsored enterprises. Investments in foreign countries also involve a risk of local political, economic or social instability, military action or unrest or adverse diplomatic developments.
Asia-Pacific Countries. In addition to the risks associated with foreign and emerging markets, the developing market Asia-Pacific countries in which a Fund may invest are subject to certain additional or specific risks. A Fund may make substantial investments in Asia-Pacific countries. In the Asia-Pacific markets, there is a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries. Many of these markets also may be affected by developments with respect to more established markets in the region, such as Japan and Hong Kong. Brokers in developing market Asia-Pacific countries typically are fewer in number and less well-capitalized than brokers in the United States. These factors, combined with the U.S. regulatory requirements for open-end investment companies and the restrictions on foreign investment, result in potentially fewer investment opportunities for a Fund and may have an adverse impact on a Fund’s investment performance.
Many of the developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be subject to a greater degree of economic, political and social instability than is the case in the United States and Western European countries. Such instability may result from, among other things: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision-making, including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; and/or (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection. In addition, the governments of many of such countries, such as Indonesia, have a heavy role in regulating and supervising the economy.
An additional risk common to most such countries is that the economy is heavily export-oriented and, accordingly, is dependent upon international trade. The existence of overburdened infrastructure and obsolete financial systems also present risks in certain countries, as do environmental problems. Certain economies also depend to a significant degree upon exports of primary commodities and, therefore, are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices that, in turn, may be affected by a variety of factors. The legal systems in certain developing market Asia-Pacific countries also may have an adverse impact on a Fund. For example, while the potential liability of a shareholder in a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation is generally limited to the amount of the shareholder's investment, the notion of limited liability is less clear in certain emerging market Asia-Pacific countries. Similarly, the rights of investors in developing market Asia-Pacific companies may be more limited than those of shareholders of U.S. corporations. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain and/or enforce a judgment in a developing market Asia-Pacific country.
Governments of many developing market Asia-Pacific countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, the government owns or controls many companies, including the largest in the country. Accordingly, government actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions
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in developing market Asia-Pacific countries, which could affect private sector companies and a Fund itself, as well as the value of securities in a Fund's portfolio. In addition, economic statistics of developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be less reliable than economic statistics of more developed nations.
It is possible that developing market Asia-Pacific issuers may not be subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards as U.S. companies. Inflation accounting rules in some developing market Asia-Pacific countries require companies that keep accounting records in the local currency, for both tax and accounting purposes, to restate certain assets and liabilities on the company’s balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits for certain developing market Asia-Pacific companies. In addition, satisfactory custodial services for investment securities may not be available in some developing Asia-Pacific countries, which may result in a Fund incurring additional costs and delays in providing transportation and custody services for such securities outside such countries.
Certain developing Asia-Pacific countries are especially large debtors to commercial banks and foreign governments. Fund management may determine that, notwithstanding otherwise favorable investment criteria, it may not be practicable or appropriate to invest in a particular developing Asia-Pacific country. A Fund may invest in countries in which foreign investors, including management of the Fund, have had no or limited prior experience.
Brazil. Investing in Brazil involves certain considerations not typically associated with investing in the United States. Additional considerations include: (i) investment and repatriation controls, which could affect a Fund’s ability to operate, and to qualify for the favorable tax treatment afforded to RICs for U.S. federal income tax purposes; (ii) fluctuations in the rate of exchange between the Brazilian Real and the U.S. Dollar; (iii) the generally greater price volatility and lesser liquidity that characterize Brazilian securities markets, as compared with U.S. markets; (iv) the effect that balance of trade could have on Brazilian economic stability and the Brazilian government's economic policy; (v) potentially high rates of inflation; (vi) governmental involvement in and influence on the private sector; (vii) Brazilian accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements, which differ from those in the United States; (viii) political and other considerations, including changes in applicable Brazilian tax laws; and (ix) restrictions on investments by foreigners. While the economy of Brazil has enjoyed substantial economic growth in recent years, there can be no guarantee that this growth will continue.
China. Investing in China involves special considerations not typically associated with investing in countries with more democratic governments or more established economies or currency markets. These risks include: (i) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (ii) greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy, interest rates and currency exchange rates; (iii) controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; (iv) greater social, economic and political uncertainty (including the risk of war); (v) dependency on exports and the corresponding importance of international trade; (vi) currency exchange rate fluctuations; and (vii) the risk that certain companies in which the Fund may invest may have dealings with countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government or identified as state sponsors of terrorism. The government of China maintains strict currency controls in support of economic, trade and political objectives and regularly intervenes in the currency market. The government's actions in this respect may not be transparent or predictable. As a result, the value of the Yuan, and the value of securities designed to provide exposure to the Yuan, can change quickly and arbitrarily. Furthermore, it is difficult for foreign investors to directly access money market securities in China because of investment and trading restrictions. While the economy of China has enjoyed substantial economic growth in recent years, there can be no guarantee this growth will continue. These and other factors may decrease the value and liquidity of a Fund's investments.
China A-shares are equity securities of companies based in mainland China that trade on Chinese stock exchanges such as the Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (“SZSE”) (“A-shares”). Foreign investment in A-shares on the SSE and SZSE is historically not permitted, other than through a license granted under regulations in the People’s Republic of China known as the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor and Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor systems. Each license permits investment in A-shares only up to a specified quota.
Investment in eligible A-shares listed and traded on the SSE is also permitted through the Stock Connect program. Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing program established by Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited, the SSE and Chinese Securities Depositary and Clearing Corporation that aims to provide mutual stock market access between China and Hong Kong by permitting investors to trade and settle shares on each market through their local exchanges. Certain Funds may invest in other investment companies that invest in A-shares through Stock Connect or on such other stock exchanges in China which participate in Stock Connect from time to time. Under Stock Connect, a Fund’s trading of eligible A-shares listed on the SSE would be effectuated through its Hong Kong broker.
Although no individual investment quotas or licensing requirements apply to investors in Stock Connect, trading through Stock Connect’s Northbound Trading Link is subject to aggregate and daily investment quota limitations that require that buy orders for A-shares be rejected once the remaining balance of the relevant quota drops to zero or the daily quota is exceeded (although a Fund will be permitted to sell A-shares regardless of the quota balance). These limitations may restrict a Fund from investing in A-shares on a timely basis, which could affect a Fund’s ability to effectively pursue its investment strategy. Investment quotas are also subject to change. Investment in eligible A-shares through Stock Connect is subject to trading, clearance and settlement procedures that could pose risks to a Fund. A-shares purchased through Stock Connect
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generally may not be sold or otherwise transferred other than through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable rules. In addition, Stock Connect will only operate on days when both the Chinese and Hong Kong markets are open for trading and when banks in both markets are open on the corresponding settlement days. Therefore, an investment in A-shares through Stock Connect may subject a Fund to a risk of price fluctuations on days where the Chinese market is open, but Stock Connect is not trading.
Developing and Emerging Markets. Emerging and developing markets abroad may offer special opportunities for investing, but may have greater risks than more developed foreign markets, such as those in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. There may be even less liquidity in their securities markets, and settlements of purchases and sales of securities may be subject to additional delays. They are subject to greater risks of limitations on the repatriation of income and profits because of currency restrictions imposed by local governments. Those countries may also be subject to the risk of greater political and economic instability, which can greatly affect the volatility of prices of securities in those countries.
Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in foreign developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; and possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. Dollar. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries. Additional risks of emerging markets securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions.
Europe. Investing in European countries may impose economic and political risks associated with Europe in general and the specific European countries in which it invests. The economies and markets of European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one European country can have an adverse impact on other European countries. A Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have significant operations in, member countries of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”), which requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including some or all of the emerging markets materials sector countries. Although certain European countries do not use the euro, many of these countries are obliged to meet the criteria for joining the euro zone. Consequently, these countries must comply with many of the restrictions noted above. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns, rising government debt levels and the possible default of government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In order to prevent further economic deterioration, certain countries, without prior warning, can institute “capital controls.” Countries may use these controls to restrict volatile movements of capital entering and exiting their country. Such controls may negatively affect a Fund’s investments. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country’s creditworthiness, which may be located in countries other than those listed above. In addition, the credit ratings of certain European countries were recently downgraded. These downgrades may result in further deterioration of investor confidence. These events have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU, including, with respect to the latter, the United Kingdom, which is a significant market in the global economy. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely impact the value of investments in the region.
The announcement of the Referendum of the United Kingdom’s (the “UK”) Membership of the EU (referred to as “Brexit”), advising for the exit of the UK from the EU, has caused business disruptions and uncertainty and thus adversely impact the financial results and operations of various European companies and economies. It is expected that the UK will exit the EU within two years of the UK’s formal notification under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon to the European Council of its
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intention to withdraw, which was formally made by Prime Minister Theresa May on March 29, 2017. There is considerable uncertainty as to the timing and requirements of the notification, as well as the potential consequences of Brexit. The effects of Brexit will depend on any agreements the UK makes to retain access to the EU Common Market either during a transitional period or more permanently. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Additionally, Brexit could lead to global economic uncertainty and result in significant volatility in the global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations.
India. Investments in India involve special considerations not typically associated with investing in countries with more established economies or currency markets. Political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax, or economic policy in India could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on a Fund's performance. Agriculture occupies a prominent position in the Indian economy and the Indian economy, therefore, may be negatively affected by adverse weather conditions and the effects of global climate change. The Indian government exercises significant influence over many aspects of the economy, and the number of public sector enterprises in India is substantial. While the Indian government has implemented economic structural reform with the objectives of liberalizing India's exchange and trade policies, reducing the fiscal deficit, controlling inflation, promoting a sound monetary policy, reforming the financial sector, and placing greater reliance on market mechanisms to direct economic activity, there can be no assurance that these policies will continue or that the economic recovery will be sustained. While the government of India is liberalizing, it still places restrictions on the capability and capacity of foreign investors to access and trade Rupee directly. Foreign investors in India still face burdensome taxes on investments in income producing securities. While the economy of India has enjoyed substantial economic growth in recent years, there can be no guarantee this growth will continue. These and other factors may decrease the value and liquidity of a Fund's investments.
Japan. Japanese investments may be significantly affected by events influencing Japan’s economy and changes in the exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the U.S. Dollar. Japan’s economy fell into a long recession in the 1990s. After a few years of mild recovery in the mid-2000s, Japan’s economy fell into another recession as a result of the recent global economic crisis. Japan is heavily dependent on exports and foreign oil. Furthermore, Japan is located in a seismically active area, and in 2011 experienced an earthquake of a sizeable magnitude and a tsunami that significantly affected important elements of its infrastructure and resulted in a nuclear crisis. Since these events, Japan’s financial markets have fluctuated dramatically. The full extent of the impact of these events on Japan’s economy and on foreign investment in Japan is difficult to estimate. Japan’s economic prospects may be affected by the political and military situations of its near neighbors, notably North and South Korea, China, and Russia.
Latin America. Investments in Latin American countries involve special considerations not typically associated with investing in the United States. Most Latin American countries have experienced, at one time or another, severe and persistent levels of inflation, including, in some cases, hyperinflation. This has, in turn, led to high interest rates, extreme measures by governments to keep inflation in check, and a generally debilitating effect on economic growth. Although inflation in many countries has lessened, there is no guarantee it will remain at lower levels. In addition, the political history of certain Latin American countries has been characterized by political uncertainty, military intervention in civilian and economic spheres, and political corruption. Such developments, if they were to reoccur, could reverse favorable trends toward market and economic reform, privatization, and removal of trade barriers, and result in significant disruption to the securities markets. Certain Latin American countries may also have managed currencies, which are maintained at artificial levels to the U.S. Dollar rather than at levels determined by the market. This type of system can lead to sudden and large adjustments in the currency which, in turn, can have a disruptive and negative effect on foreign investors. For example, in late 1994, the value of the Mexican peso lost more than one-third of its value relative to the U.S. Dollar. Certain Latin American countries also restrict the free conversion of their currency into foreign currencies, including the U.S. Dollar. There is no significant foreign exchange market for many currencies and it would, as a result, be difficult for the Fund to engage in foreign currency transactions designed to protect the value of the Fund’s interests in securities denominated in such currencies. Finally, a number of Latin American countries are among the largest debtors of developing countries. There have been moratoria on, and reschedulings of, repayment with respect to these debts. Such events can restrict the flexibility of these debtor nations in the international markets and result in the imposition of onerous conditions on their economies.
Russia. Investing in Russia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investing in United States. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, Russia has experienced dramatic political and social change. The political system in Russia is emerging from a long history of extensive state involvement in economic affairs. The country is undergoing a rapid transition from a centrally-controlled command system to a market-oriented, democratic model. As a result, relative to companies operating in Western economies, companies in Russia are characterized by a lack of: (i) management with experience of operating in a market economy; (ii) modern technology; and, (iii) a sufficient capital base with which to develop and expand their operations. It is unclear what will be the future effect on Russian companies, if any, of Russia’s continued attempts to move toward a more market-oriented economy. Russia’s economy has experienced severe economic recession, if not depression, since 1990 during which time the economy has been characterized by high rates of inflation, high rates of unemployment, declining gross domestic product, deficit government spending, and a devalued currency. The economic reform program has involved major disruptions and dislocations in various sectors of the economy, and those problems have been exacerbated by growing liquidity problems. Further, Russia presently receives significant financial assistance
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from a number of countries through various programs. To the extent these programs are reduced or eliminated in the future, Russian economic development may be adversely impacted. The laws and regulations in Russia affecting Western investment business continue to evolve in an unpredictable manner. Russian laws and regulations, particularly those involving taxation, foreign investment and trade, title to property or securities, and transfer of title, which may be applicable to a Fund’s activities are relatively new and can change quickly and unpredictably in a manner far more volatile than in the United States or other developed market economies. Although basic commercial laws are in place, they are often unclear or contradictory and subject to varying interpretation, and may at any time be amended, modified, repealed or replaced in a manner adverse to the interest of the Funds.
As a result of recent events involving Ukraine and Russia, the United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The United States and other nations or international organizations may impose additional, broader economic sanctions or take other actions that may adversely affect Russian-related issuers in the future. These sanctions, any future sanctions or other actions, or even the threat of further sanctions or other actions, may negatively affect the value and liquidity of a Fund’s investments. Russia may undertake countermeasures or retaliatory actions which may further impair the value and liquidity of a Fund’s investments.
Hybrid Instruments
A Fund may invest in hybrid instruments. A hybrid instrument is a type of potentially high-risk derivative that combines a traditional stock, bond, or commodity with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a hybrid is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some commodity, currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most fixed income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid security may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. A hybrid could be, for example, a bond issued by an oil company that pays a small base level of interest, in addition to interest that accrues when oil prices exceed a certain predetermined level. Such a hybrid instrument would be a combination of a bond and a call option on oil.
Hybrids can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including currency hedging, and increased total return. Hybrids may not bear interest or pay dividends. The value of a hybrid or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events, such as commodity shortages and currency devaluations, which cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid could be zero. Thus, an investment in a hybrid may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S. Dollar-denominated bond that has a fixed principal amount and pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of hybrids also exposes a Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the NAV of a Fund.
Certain issuers of structured products such as hybrid instruments may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, a Fund’s investment in these products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.
Illiquid Investments and Restricted Securities
Each Fund may purchase and hold illiquid investments. A Fund will not purchase or otherwise acquire any security if, as a result, more than 15% of its net assets (taken at current value) would be invested in investments that are illiquid. This policy does not include restricted securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”), which the Trust’s Board of Trustees (“Board” or “Trustees”), or Rafferty, under Board-approved guidelines, has determined are liquid. Each Fund, however, currently does not anticipate investing in such restricted securities.
The term “illiquid investments” for this purpose means investments that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the investments. Investments currently considered to be illiquid include: (1) repurchase agreements not terminable within seven days; (2) securities for which market quotations are not readily available; (3) OTC options and their underlying collateral; (4) bank deposits, unless they are payable at principal amount plus accrued interest on demand or within seven days after demand; (5) restricted securities not determined to be liquid pursuant to guidelines established by the Board; and (6) in certain circumstances, securities involved in swap, cap, floor or collar transactions.
A Fund may not be able to sell illiquid investments when Rafferty considers it desirable to do so or may have to sell such investments at a price that is lower than the price that could be obtained if the investments were liquid. In addition, the sale of illiquid investments may require more time and result in higher dealer discounts and other selling expenses than does the sale of investments that are not illiquid. Illiquid investments also may be more difficult to value due to the unavailability of reliable market quotations for such investments, and investment in illiquid investments may have an adverse impact on NAV.
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Rule 144A establishes a “safe harbor” from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers. Institutional markets for restricted securities that have developed as a result of Rule 144A provide both readily ascertainable values for certain restricted securities and the ability to liquidate an investment to satisfy share redemption orders. An insufficient number of qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing Rule 144A-eligible securities held by a Fund, however, could affect adversely the marketability of such portfolio securities, and a Fund may be unable to dispose of such securities promptly or at reasonable prices.
Indexed Securities
A Fund may purchase indexed securities, which are securities, the value of which varies positively or negatively in relation to the value of other securities, securities indices or other financial indicators, consistent with its investment objective. Indexed securities may be debt securities or deposits whose value at maturity or coupon rate is determined by reference to a specific instrument or statistic. Recent issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations and certain U.S. government agencies.
The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the security or other instrument to which they are indexed and also may be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. At the same time, indexed securities are subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer’s creditworthiness deteriorates. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments. Certain indexed securities that are not traded on an established market may be deemed illiquid. See “Illiquid Investments and Restricted Securities” above.
Inflation Protected Securities
Inflation protected securities are fixed income securities whose value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. Two structures are common. The U.S. Treasury and some other issuers utilize a structure that accrues inflation into the principal value of the bond. Other issuers pay out the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) accruals as part of a semiannual coupon. Inflation protected securities issued by the U.S. Treasury have maturities of approximately five, ten or thirty years, although it is possible that securities with other maturities will be issued in the future. The U.S. Treasury securities pay interest on a semi-annual basis equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation adjusted principal amount.
If the periodic adjustment rate measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation protected bonds will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation indexed bonds, even during a period of deflation. However, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. A Fund may also invest in other inflation related bonds which may or may not provide a similar guarantee. If a guarantee of principal is not provided, the adjusted principal value of the bond to be repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal amount and, therefore, is subject to credit risk.
The value of inflation protected bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates in turn are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if the rate of inflation rises at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation protected bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation protected bonds. While these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure.
The periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation protected bonds is tied to the non-seasonally adjusted U.S. City Average All Items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”), published monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy.
Any increase in principal for an inflation protected security resulting from inflation adjustments is considered by the IRS to be taxable income in the year it occurs. A Fund’s distributions to shareholders include interest income and the income attributable to principal adjustments, both of which will be taxable to shareholders. The tax treatment of the income attributable to principal adjustments may result in the situation where a Fund needs to make its required annual distributions to shareholders in amounts that exceed the cash received. As a result, a Fund may need to liquidate certain investments when it is not advantageous to do so. Also, if the principal value of an inflation protected security is adjusted downward due to deflation, amounts previously distributed in the taxable year may be characterized in some circumstances as a return of capital.
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Interest Rate Swaps
In a typical interest rate swap agreement, one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a floating rate on a specified amount in exchange for payments equal to a fixed rate, or a different floating rate, on the same amount for a specified period. Among other techniques, a Fund may use interest rate swaps to offset declines in the value of fixed income securities held by a Fund. In such an instance, a Fund may agree with a counterparty to pay a fixed rate (multiplied by a notional amount) and the counterparty to pay a floating rate multiplied by the same notional amount. If long-term interest rates rise, resulting in a diminution in the value of a Fund’s portfolio, a Fund would receive payments under the swap that would offset, in whole or in part, such diminution in value; if interest rates fall, a Fund would likely lose money on the swap transaction. A Fund may also enter into constant maturity swaps, which are a variation of the typical interest rate swap. Constant maturity swaps are exposed to changes in long-term interest rate movements.
Junk Bonds
A Fund may invest in lower-rated debt securities, including securities in the lowest credit rating category, of any maturity, otherwise known as “junk bonds.”
Junk bonds generally offer a higher current yield than that available for higher-grade issues. However, lower-rated securities involve higher risks, in that they are especially subject to adverse changes in general economic conditions and in the industries in which the issuers are engaged, to changes in the financial condition of the issuers and to price fluctuations in response to changes in interest rates. During periods of economic downturn or rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress that could adversely affect their ability to make payments of interest and principal and increase the possibility of default. In addition, the market for lower-rated debt securities has expanded rapidly in recent years, and its growth paralleled a long economic expansion. At times in recent years, the prices of many lower-rated debt securities declined substantially, reflecting an expectation that many issuers of such securities might experience financial difficulties. As a result, the yields on lower-rated debt securities rose dramatically, but such higher yields did not reflect the value of the income stream that holders of such securities expected, but rather, the risk that holders of such securities could lose a substantial portion of their value as a result of the issuers’ financial restructuring or default. There can be no assurance that such declines will not recur.
The market for lower-rated debt issues generally is thinner and less active than that for higher quality securities, which may limit a Fund’s ability to sell such securities at fair value in response to changes in the economy or financial markets. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, may also decrease the values and liquidity of lower-rated securities, especially in a thinly traded market. Changes by recognized rating services in their rating of a fixed-income security may affect the value of these investments. A Fund will not necessarily dispose of a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. However, Rafferty will monitor the investment to determine whether continued investment in the security will assist in meeting a Fund’s investment objective.
Mortgage-Backed Securities
A Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities. A mortgage-backed security is a type of pass-through security, which is a security representing pooled debt obligations repackaged as interests that pass income through an intermediary to investors. In the case of mortgage-backed securities, the ownership interest is in a pool of mortgage loans.
Mortgage-backed securities are most commonly issued or guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae®” or “GNMA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae®” or “FNMA”) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac®” or “FHLMC”), but may also be issued or guaranteed by other private issuers. GNMA is a government-owned corporation that is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It guarantees, with the full faith and credit of the United States, full and timely payment of all monthly principal and interest on its mortgage-backed securities. FNMA is a publicly owned, government-sponsored corporation that mostly packages mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration, but also sells some non-governmentally backed mortgages. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest only by FNMA. FHLMC is a publicly chartered agency that buys qualifying residential mortgages from lenders, re-packages them and provides certain guarantees. Pass-through securities issued by FHLMC are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest only by FHLMC.
Mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers, whether or not such obligations are subject to guarantees by the private issuer, may entail greater risk than obligations directly or indirectly guaranteed by the U.S. government. The average life of a mortgage-backed security is likely to be substantially less than the original maturity of the mortgage pools underlying the securities. Prepayments of principal by mortgagors and mortgage foreclosures will usually result in the return of the greater part of principal invested far in advance of the maturity of the mortgages in the pool.
Collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) are debt obligations collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities (collateral collectively hereinafter referred to as “Mortgage Assets”). Multi-class pass-through securities are interests in a trust composed of Mortgage Assets and all references in this section to CMOs include multi-class pass-through securities.
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Principal prepayments on the Mortgage Assets may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates, resulting in a loss of all or part of the premium if any has been paid. Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. The principal and interest payments on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the various classes of CMOs in several ways. Typically, payments of principal, including any prepayments, on the underlying mortgages are applied to the classes in the order of their respective stated maturities or final distribution dates, so that no payment of principal is made on CMOs of a class until all CMOs of other classes having earlier stated maturities or final distribution dates have been paid in full.
Stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”) are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. A Fund will only invest in SMBS that are obligations backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. SMBS are usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from a pool of Mortgage Assets. A Fund will only invest in SMBS whose Mortgage Assets are U.S. government obligations. A common type of SMBS will be structured so that one class receives some of the interest and most of the principal from the Mortgage Assets, while the other class receives most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. If the underlying Mortgage Assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, each Fund may fail to fully recoup its initial investment in these securities. The market value of any class which consists primarily, or entirely, of principal payments generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates.
Investment in mortgage-backed securities poses several risks, including among others, prepayment, market and credit risk. Prepayment risk reflects the risk that borrowers may prepay their mortgages faster than expected, thereby affecting the investment’s average life and perhaps its yield. Whether or not a mortgage loan is prepaid is almost entirely controlled by the borrower. Borrowers are most likely to exercise prepayment options at the time when it is least advantageous to investors, generally prepaying mortgages as interest rates fall, and slowing payments as interest rates rise. Besides the effect of prevailing interest rates, the rate of prepayment and refinancing of mortgages may also be affected by home value appreciation, ease of the refinancing process and local economic conditions. Market risk reflects the risk that the price of a security may fluctuate over time. The price of mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to prevailing interest rates, the length of time the security is expected to be outstanding, and the liquidity of the issue. In a period of unstable interest rates, there may be decreased demand for certain types of mortgage-backed securities, and a Fund invested in such securities wishing to sell them may find it difficult to find a buyer, which may in turn decrease the price at which they may be sold. Credit risk reflects the risk that a Fund may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer or credit enhancer has defaulted on its obligations. Obligations issued by U.S. government-related entities are guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The performance of private label mortgage-backed securities, issued by private institutions, is based on the financial health of those institutions. With respect to GNMA certificates, although GNMA guarantees timely payment even if homeowners delay or default, tracking the “pass-through” payments may, at times, be difficult.
Municipal Obligations
A Fund may invest in municipal obligations. Municipal securities are fixed-income securities issued by states, counties, cities and other political subdivisions and authorities. Although most municipal securities are exempt from federal income tax, municipalities also may issue taxable securities. Tax exempt securities are generally classified by their source of payment. In addition to the usual risks associated with investing for income, the value of municipal obligations can be affected by changes in the actual or perceived credit quality of the issuers. The credit quality of a municipal obligation can be affected by, among other factors: a) the financial condition of the issuer or guarantor; b) the issuer’s future borrowing plans and sources of revenue; c) the economic feasibility of the revenue bond project or general borrowing purpose; d) political or economic developments in the region or jurisdiction where the security is issued; and e) the liquidity of the security. Because municipal obligations are generally traded OTC, the liquidity of a particular issue often depends on the willingness of dealers to make a market in the security. The liquidity of some municipal issues can be enhanced by demand features, which enable a Fund to demand payment from the issuer or a financial intermediary on short notice.
Options, Futures and Other Derivative Strategies
General. A Fund may use certain options (traded on an exchange or OTC, or otherwise), futures contracts (sometimes referred to as “futures”) and options on futures contracts (collectively, "Financial Instruments") as a substitute for a comparable market position in the underlying security, to attempt to hedge or limit the exposure of a Fund’s position, to create a synthetic money market position, for certain tax-related purposes or to effect closing transactions.
The use of Financial Instruments is subject to applicable regulations of the SEC, the several exchanges upon which they are traded and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”). In addition, a Fund’s ability to use Financial Instruments will be limited by tax considerations. See “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes.”
Under current CFTC regulations, if a Fund uses commodity interests (such as futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swaps) other than for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the CFTC) the aggregate initial margin and premiums
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required to establish these positions (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions and excluding the amount by which options that are “in-the-money” at the time of purchase) may not exceed 5% of a Fund’s NAV, or alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of those positions, as determined at the time the most recent position was established, may not exceed 100% of the fund’s NAV (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). Accordingly, each Fund will register prior to commencement of operations as a commodity pool, and the Adviser has registered as a commodity pool operator with the National Futures Association.
Each Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way a Fund operates, increase the particular costs of a Fund’s operation and/or change the competitive landscape. In this regard, any further amendment to the Commodity Exchange Act or its related regulations that subject a Fund to additional regulation may have adverse impacts on a Fund’s operations and expenses.
In addition to the instruments, strategies and risks described below and in the Prospectus, Rafferty may discover additional opportunities in connection with Financial Instruments and other similar or related techniques. These new opportunities may become available as Rafferty develops new techniques, as regulatory authorities broaden the range of permitted transactions and as new Financial Instruments or other techniques are developed. Rafferty may utilize these opportunities to the extent that they are consistent with a Fund’s investment objective and permitted by a Fund’s investment limitations and applicable regulatory authorities. A Fund’s Prospectus or this SAI will be supplemented to the extent that new products or techniques involve materially different risks than those described below or in the Prospectus.
Special Risks. The use of Financial Instruments involves special considerations and risks, certain of which are described below. Risks pertaining to particular Financial Instruments are described in the sections that follow.
(1) Successful use of most Financial Instruments depends upon Rafferty’s ability to predict movements of the overall securities markets, which requires different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets, due to the differences in the natures of those markets, are subject to distortion. Due to the possibility of distortion, a correct forecast of stock market trends by Rafferty may still not result in a successful transaction. Rafferty may be incorrect in its expectations as to the extent of market movements or the time span within which the movements take place, which, thus, may result in the strategy being unsuccessful.
(2) Options and futures prices can diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments. Options and futures prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect or no correlation also may result from differing levels of demand in the options and futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how options and futures and securities are traded, and from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts.
(3) As described below, a Fund might be required to maintain assets as “cover,” maintain segregated accounts or make margin payments when it takes positions in Financial Instruments involving obligations to third parties (e.g., Financial Instruments other than purchased options). If a Fund were unable to close out its positions in such Financial Instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expired or matured. These requirements might impair a Fund’s ability to sell a portfolio security or make an investment when it would otherwise be favorable to do so or require that a Fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time. A Fund’s ability to close out a position in a Financial Instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends on the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the other party to the transaction (the “counterparty”) to enter into a transaction closing out the position. Therefore, there is no assurance that any position can be closed out at a time and price that is favorable to a Fund.
(4) Losses may arise due to unanticipated market price movements, lack of a liquid secondary market for any particular instrument at a particular time or due to losses from premiums paid by a Fund on options transactions.
Cover. Transactions using Financial Instruments, other than purchased options, expose a Fund to an obligation to another party. A Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (1) an offsetting (“covered”) position in securities or other options or futures contracts or (2) cash and liquid assets with a value, marked-to-market daily, sufficient to cover its potential obligations to the extent not covered as provided in (1) above. Each Fund will comply with SEC guidelines regarding cover for these instruments and will, if the guidelines so require, set aside cash or liquid assets in an account with its custodian, the Bank of New York Mellon ("BNYM"), in the prescribed amount as determined daily.
Assets used as cover or held in an account cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding Financial Instrument is open, unless they are replaced with other appropriate assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of a Fund’s assets to cover or accounts could impede portfolio management or a Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.
Options. The value of an option position will reflect, among other things, the current market value of the underlying investment, the time remaining until expiration, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying investment and general market conditions. Options that expire unexercised have no value. Options currently are traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange®, the Exchange and other exchanges, as well as the OTC markets.
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By buying a call option on a security, a Fund has the right, in return for the premium paid, to buy the security underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing (selling) a call option and receiving a premium, a Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to deliver securities underlying the option at the exercise price if the option is exercised. By buying a put option, a Fund has the right, in return for the premium, to sell the security underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing a put option, a Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to purchase the securities underlying the option at the exercise price.
Because options premiums paid or received by a Fund are small in relation to the market value of the investments underlying the options, buying and selling put and call options can be more speculative than investing directly in securities.
A Fund may effectively terminate its right or obligation under an option by entering into a closing transaction. For example, a Fund may terminate its obligation under a call or put option that it had written by purchasing an identical call or put option; this is known as a closing purchase transaction. Conversely, a Fund may terminate a position in a put or call option it had purchased by writing an identical put or call option; this is known as a closing sale transaction. Closing transactions permit a Fund to realize profits or limit losses on an option position prior to its exercise or expiration.
Risks of Options on Currencies and Securities. Exchange-traded options in the United States are issued by a clearing organization affiliated with the exchange on which the option is listed that, in effect, guarantees completion of every exchange-traded option transaction. In contrast, OTC options are contracts between a Fund and its counterparty (usually a securities dealer or a bank) with no clearing organization guarantee. Thus, when a Fund purchases an OTC option, it relies on the counterparty from which it purchased the option to make or take delivery of the underlying investment upon exercise of the option. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of any premium paid by a Fund as well as the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.
A Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions in exchange-traded options depends on the existence of a liquid market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist at any particular time. Closing transactions can be made for OTC options only by negotiating directly with the counterparty, or by a transaction in the secondary market if any such market exists. There can be no assurance that a Fund will in fact be able to close out an OTC option position at a favorable price prior to expiration. In the event of insolvency of the counterparty, a Fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration.
If a Fund were unable to effect a closing transaction for an option it had purchased, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit. The inability to enter into a closing purchase transaction for a covered call option written by a Fund could cause material losses because a Fund would be unable to sell the investment used as cover for the written option until the option expires or is exercised.
Options on Indices. An index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the securities included in the index. Options on indices give the holder the right to receive an amount of cash upon exercise of the option. Receipt of this cash amount will depend upon the closing level of the index upon which the option is based being greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of put) the exercise price of the option. Some stock index options are based on a broad market index such as the S&P 500® Composite Stock Index, the NYSE Composite Index or the NYSE Arca Major Market Index or on a narrower index such as the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Over-the-Counter Index.
Each of the exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options on the same index that may be bought or written by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such options are written on the same or different exchanges or are held or written on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). Under these limitations, option positions of all investment companies advised by Rafferty are combined for purposes of these limits. Pursuant to these limitations, an exchange may order the liquidation of positions and may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These positions limits may restrict the number of listed options that a Fund may buy or sell.
Puts and calls on indices are similar to puts and calls on securities or futures contracts except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities or futures contracts. When a Fund writes a call on an index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from a Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total value for each point of such difference. When a Fund buys a call on an index, it pays a premium and has the same rights to such call as are indicated above. When a Fund buys a put on an index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon a Fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to a Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put, which amount of cash is determined by the multiplier, as described above for calls. When a Fund writes a put on an index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require a Fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the index and the exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.
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Risks of Options on Indices. If a Fund has purchased an index option and exercises it before the closing index value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, a Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.
OTC Options. Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows a Fund great flexibility to tailor the option to its needs, OTC options generally involve greater risk than exchange-traded options, which are guaranteed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded.
Forward Contracts. Each Fund may enter into equity, equity index or interest rate forward contracts for purposes of attempting to gain exposure to an index or group of securities without actually purchasing these securities, or to hedge a position. Forward contracts are two-party contracts pursuant to which one party agrees to pay the counterparty a fixed price for an agreed upon amount of commodities, securities, or the cash value of the commodities, securities or the securities index, at an agreed upon date. Because they are two-party contracts and may have terms greater than seven days, forward contracts may be considered to be illiquid for the Fund’s illiquid investment limitations. A Fund will not enter into any forward contract unless Rafferty believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. A Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a forward contract in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a counterparty. If such a default occurs, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the forward contract, but such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect the Fund’s rights as a creditor.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. A futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take delivery of) the specified security on the expiration date of the contract. An index futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take) an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical delivery of the underlying securities in the index is made.
When a Fund writes an option on a futures contract, it becomes obligated, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. If a Fund writes a call, it assumes a short futures position. If it writes a put, it assumes a long futures position. When a Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, it acquires the right in return for the premium it pays to assume a position in a futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put).
Whether a Fund realizes a gain or loss from futures activities depends upon movements in the underlying security or index. The extent of a Fund’s loss from an unhedged short position in futures contracts or from writing unhedged call options on futures contracts is potentially unlimited. A Fund only purchases and sells futures contracts and options on futures contracts that are traded on a U.S. exchange or board of trade.
No price is paid upon entering into a futures contract. Instead, at the inception of a futures contract a Fund is required to deposit “initial margin” in an amount generally equal to 10% or less of the contract value. Margin also must be deposited when writing a call or put option on a futures contract, in accordance with applicable exchange rules. Unlike margin in securities transactions, initial margin does not represent a borrowing, but rather is in the nature of a performance bond or good-faith deposit that is returned to a Fund at the termination of the transaction if all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Under certain circumstances, such as periods of high volatility, a Fund may be required by an exchange to increase the level of its initial margin payment, and initial margin requirements might be increased generally in the future by regulatory action.
Subsequent “variation margin” payments are made to and from the futures commission merchant daily as the value of the futures position varies, a process known as “marking-to-market.” Variation margin does not involve borrowing, but rather represents a daily settlement of a Fund’s obligations to or from a futures commission merchant. When a Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, the premium paid plus transaction costs is all that is at risk. In contrast, when a Fund purchases or sells a futures contract or writes a call or put option thereon, it is subject to daily variation margin calls that could be substantial in the event of adverse price movements. If a Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it might need to sell securities at a time when such sales are disadvantageous.
Purchasers and sellers of futures contracts and options on futures can enter into offsetting closing transactions, similar to closing transactions in options, by selling or purchasing, respectively, an instrument identical to the instrument purchased or sold. Positions in futures and options on futures contracts may be closed only on an exchange or board of trade that provides a secondary market. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time. In such event, it may not be possible to close a futures contract or options position.
Under certain circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or an option on a futures contract can vary from the previous day’s settlement price; once that limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. Daily price limits do not limit potential losses because prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive days with little or no trading, thereby preventing liquidation of unfavorable positions.
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If a Fund were unable to liquidate a futures contract or an option on a futures position due to the absence of a liquid secondary market or the imposition of price limits, it could incur substantial losses. A Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. In addition, except in the case of purchased options, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments and might be required to maintain cash or liquid assets in an account.
Risks of Futures Contracts and Options Thereon. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets (including the options on futures markets), due to differences in the natures of those markets, are subject to the following factors, which may create distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which could distort the normal relationships between the cash and futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause temporary price distortions.
Risks Associated with Commodity Futures Contracts. There are several additional risks associated with transactions in commodity futures contracts.
Storage. Unlike the financial futures markets, in the commodity futures markets there are costs of physical storage associated with purchasing the underlying commodity. The price of the commodity futures contract will reflect the storage costs of purchasing the physical commodity, including the time value of money invested in the physical commodity. To the extent that the storage costs for an underlying commodity change while a Fund is invested in futures contracts on that commodity, the value of the futures contract may change proportionately.
Reinvestment. In the commodity futures markets, producers of the underlying commodity may decide to hedge the price risk of selling the commodity by selling futures contracts today to lock in the price of the commodity at delivery tomorrow. In order to induce speculators to purchase the other side of the same futures contract, the commodity producer generally must sell the futures contract at a lower price than the expected future spot price. Conversely, if most hedgers in the futures market are purchasing futures contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, then speculators will only sell the other side of the futures contract at a higher futures price than the expected future spot price of the commodity. The changing nature of the hedgers and speculators in the commodity markets will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price, which can have significant implications for a Fund. If the nature of hedgers and speculators in futures markets has shifted when it is time for a Fund to reinvest the proceeds of a maturing contract in a new futures contract, the Fund might reinvest at higher or lower futures prices, or choose to pursue other investments.
Other Economic Factors. The commodities which underlie commodity futures contracts may be subject to additional economic and non-economic variables, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political and regulatory developments. These factors may have a larger impact on commodity prices and commodity-linked instruments, including futures contracts, than on traditional securities. Certain commodities are also subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of the prices for certain raw materials and the instability of supplies of other materials. These additional variables may create additional investment risks which subject a Fund’s investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities.
Combined Positions. A Fund may purchase and write options in combination with each other. For example, a Fund may purchase a put option and write a call option on the same underlying instrument, in order to construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract. Another possible combined position would involve writing a call option at one strike price and buying a call option at a lower price, in order to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.
Other Investment Companies
Open-end and Closed-end Investment Companies. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, including open- and closed-end funds and ETFs. Investments in the securities of other investment companies may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company, a Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly will bear a Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with a Fund’s own operations.
Each Fund intends to limit its investments in securities issued by other investment companies in accordance with the 1940 Act. Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act precludes a Fund from acquiring (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of another investment company; (ii) shares of another investment company having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of
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the value of the total assets of the Fund; or (iii) shares of another registered investment company and all other investment companies having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the Fund. However, Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act provides that the provisions of paragraph 12(d) shall not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by a Fund if (i) immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of such investment company is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the Fund; and (ii) the Fund has not offered or sold, and is not proposing to offer or sell its shares through a principal underwriter or otherwise at a public or offering price that includes a sales load of more than 1 1/2%.
If a Fund invests in investment companies pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F), it must comply with the following voting restrictions: when the Fund exercises voting rights, by proxy or otherwise, with respect to investment companies owned by the Fund, the Fund will either seek instruction from the Funds' shareholders with regard to the voting of all proxies and vote in accordance with such instructions, or vote the shares held by a Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of such security. In addition, an investment company purchased by a Fund pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F) shall not be required to redeem its shares in an amount exceeding 1% of such investment company’s total outstanding shares in any period of less than thirty days. Also, to the extent that an ETF has exemptive relief under Section 12(d)(1)(J), a Fund may rely on that exemptive relief to exceed the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1)(A).
Shares of another investment company or ETF that has received exemptive relief from the SEC to permit other funds to invest in its shares without these limitations are excluded from such restrictions to the extent that a Fund has complied with the requirements of such orders. To the extent that a Fund invests in open-end or closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in the securities of companies located outside the United States, see the risks related to foreign securities set forth above.
Exchange-Traded Products. Each Fund may invest in Exchange Traded Products (“ETPs”), which include ETFs, partnerships, commodity pools or trusts that are bought and sold on a securities exchange. A Fund may also invest in exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”), which are structured debt securities, whereby the issuer of the ETN promises to pay ETN holders the return on an index or market segment over a certain period of time and then return the principal of the investment at maturity. Whereas ETPs’ liabilities are secured by their portfolio securities, ETNs’ liabilities are unsecured general obligations of the issuer. Therefore, ETNs are subject to the credit risk of the issuer of the ETN, which is different than other ETPs. Most ETPs and ETNs are designed to track a particular market segment or index, although an ETP or ETN may be actively managed. ETPs and ETNs share expenses associated with their operation, typically including advisory fees and other management expenses. When a Fund invests in an ETP or ETN, in addition to directly bearing expenses associated with its own operations, it will bear its pro rata portion of the ETP’s or ETN’s expenses. The risks of owning an ETP or ETN generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETP or ETN is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETP or ETN could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. In addition, because of ETP or ETN expenses, compared to owning the underlying securities directly, it may be more costly to own an ETP or ETN. The value of an ETN security should also be expected to fluctuate with the credit rating of the issuer.
Additionally, a Fund may invest in swap agreements referencing ETFs. If a Fund invests in ETFs or swap agreements referencing ETFs, the underlying ETFs may not necessarily track the same index as the Fund.
Money Market Funds. Money market funds are open-end registered investment companies which have historically traded at a stable $1.00 per share price. In July 2014, the SEC adopted amendments to money market fund regulations (“2014 Amendments”) intended to address perceived systemic risks associated with money market funds and to improve transparency for money market fund investors. In general, the 2014 Amendments require money market funds that do not meet the definitions of a retail money market fund or government money market fund to transact at a floating NAV per share (similar to all other non-money market mutual funds), instead of at a $1 stable share price, as has traditionally been the case. The 2014 Amendments also permit all money market funds to impose liquidity fees and redemption gates for use in times of market stress. The SEC also adopted additional diversification, stress testing, and disclosure measures. The 2014 Amendments represent significant departures from the traditional operation of money market funds and the impact that these amendments might have on money market funds is unclear; however, any impact on the trading and value of money market instruments as a result of the 2014 Amendments may negatively affect a Fund’s yield and return potential. The 2014 Amendments became effective in October 2016.
Real Estate Companies
A Fund may make investments in the securities of real estate companies, which are regarded as those which derive at least 50% of their respective revenues from the ownership, construction, financing, management or sale of commercial, industrial, or residential real estate, or have at least 50% of their respective assets in such real estate. Such investments include common stocks (including real estate investment trust shares, see “Real Estate Investment Trusts” below), rights or warrants to purchase common stocks, securities convertible into common stocks where the conversion feature represents, in Rafferty’s view, a significant element of the securities’ value, and preferred stocks.
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Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)
A Fund may make investments in REITs. REITs include equity, mortgage and hybrid REITs. Equity REITs own real estate properties, and their revenue comes principally from rent. Mortgage REITs loan money to real estate owners, and their revenue comes principally from interest earned on their mortgage loans. Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs. The value of an equity REIT may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property, while a mortgage REIT may be affected by the quality of the credit extended. The performance of both types of REITs depends upon conditions in the real estate industry, management skills and the amount of cash flow. The risks associated with REITs include defaults by borrowers, self-liquidation, failure to qualify as a pass-through entity under the federal tax law, failure to qualify as an exempt entity under the 1940 Act and the fact that REITs are not diversified.
Repurchase Agreements
A Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System or securities dealers who are members of a national securities exchange or are primary dealers in U.S. government securities. Repurchase agreements generally are for a short period of time, usually less than a week. Under a repurchase agreement, a Fund purchases a U.S. government security and simultaneously agrees to sell the security back to the seller at a mutually agreed-upon future price and date, normally one day or a few days later. The resale price is greater than the purchase price, reflecting an agreed-upon market interest rate during a Fund’s holding period. While the maturities of the underlying securities in repurchase agreement transactions may be more than one year, the term of each repurchase agreement always will be less than one year. Repurchase agreements with a maturity of more than seven days are considered to be illiquid investments. A Fund may not enter into such a repurchase agreement if, as a result, more than 15% of the value of its net assets would then be invested in such repurchase agreements and other illiquid investments. See “Illiquid Investments and Restricted Securities” above.
A Fund will always receive, as collateral, securities whose market value, including accrued interest, at all times will be at least equal to 100% of the dollar amount invested by a Fund in each repurchase agreement. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the seller, a Fund will liquidate those securities (whose market value, including accrued interest, must be at least 100% of the amount invested by a Fund) held under the applicable repurchase agreement, which securities constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to repurchase the security. If the seller defaults, a Fund might incur a loss if the value of the collateral securing the repurchase agreement declines and might incur disposition costs in connection with liquidating the collateral. In addition, if bankruptcy or similar proceedings are commenced with respect to the seller of the security, realization upon the collateral by a Fund may be delayed or limited.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
A Fund may borrow by entering into reverse repurchase agreements with the same parties with whom it may enter into repurchase agreements. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, a Fund sells securities and agrees to repurchase them at a mutually agreed to price. At the time a Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will establish and maintain a segregated account with an approved custodian containing liquid high-grade securities, marked-to-market daily, having a value not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of securities retained in lieu of sale by a Fund may decline below the price of the securities a Fund has sold but is obliged to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, such buyer or its trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce a Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities. During that time, a Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement effectively may be restricted. Reverse repurchase agreements create leverage, a speculative factor, and are considered borrowings for the purpose of a Fund’s limitation on borrowing.
Short Sales
A Fund may engage in short sale transactions under which a Fund sells a security it does not own. To complete such a transaction, a Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. A Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by a Fund. Until the security is replaced, a Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividends that accrue during the period of the loan. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet the margin requirements, until the short position is closed out.
Until a Fund closes its short position or replaces the borrowed stock, a Fund will: (1) maintain an account containing cash or liquid assets at such a level that (a) the amount deposited in the account plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will equal the current value of the stock sold short and (b) the amount deposited in the account plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will not be less than the market value of the stock at the time the stock was sold short; or (2) otherwise cover a Fund’s short position.
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Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk
An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and a Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt obligation, including U.S. Treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect a Fund. Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which a Fund may invest and/or have exposure to have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
Swap Agreements
A Fund may enter into swap agreements. Swap agreements are generally two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a day to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. Some swaps are, and more in the future will be, centrally cleared. Swaps that are centrally-cleared are subject to the creditworthiness of the clearing organizations involved in the transaction. For example, an investor could lose margin payments it has deposited with the clearing organization as well as the net amount of gains not yet paid by the clearing organization if it breaches its agreement with the investor or becomes insolvent or goes into bankruptcy. In the event of bankruptcy of the clearing organization, the investor may be entitled to the net amount of gains the investor is entitled to receive plus the return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the clearing organization’s other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the investor.
An interest rate swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange interest payments on a designated amount of two different securities for a designated period of time. For example, two parties may agree to exchange interest payments on variable and fixed rate instruments. A Fund may enter into interest rate swap transactions to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or a portion of its bond portfolio.
A total return swap is a contract whereby one party agrees to make a series of payments to another party based on the change in the market value of the assets underlying such contract (which can include a security, commodity, index or baskets thereof) during the specified period. In exchange, the other party to the contract agrees to make a series of payments calculated by reference to an interest rate and/or some other agreed-upon amount (including the change in market value of other underlying assets). A Fund may use total return swaps to gain exposure to an asset without owning it or taking physical custody of it. For example, a fund investing in total return commodity swaps will receive the price appreciation of a commodity, commodity index or portion thereof in exchange for payment of an agreed-upon fee.
In a credit default swap, the credit default protection buyer makes periodic payments, known as premiums, to the credit default protection seller. In return the credit default protection seller will make a payment to the credit default protection buyer upon the occurrence of a specified credit event. A credit default swap can refer to a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets, each known as the reference entity or underlying asset. A Fund may act as either the buyer or the seller of a credit default swap. A Fund may buy or sell credit default protection on a basket of issuers or assets, even if a number of the underlying assets referenced in the basket are lower-quality debt securities. In an unhedged credit default swap, a Fund buys credit default protection on a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets without owning the underlying asset or debt issued by the reference entity. Credit default swaps involve greater and different risks than investing directly in the referenced asset, because, in addition to market risk, credit default swaps include liquidity, counterparty and operational risk.
Credit default swaps allow a fund to acquire or reduce credit exposure to a particular issuer, asset or basket of assets. If a swap agreement calls for payments by a fund, a Fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. If a Fund is the credit default protection seller, the Fund will experience a loss if a credit event occurs and the credit of the reference entity or underlying asset has deteriorated. If a Fund is the credit default protection buyer, the Fund will be required to pay premiums to the credit default protection seller.
Most swap agreements entered into by a Fund calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently, a Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement generally will be equal to the net amount
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to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). Payments may be made at the conclusion of a swap agreement or periodically during its term.
Swap agreements do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, if a swap is entered into on a net basis, if the other party to a swap agreement defaults, a Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that such Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any.
The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to a swap agreement entered into on a net basis will be accrued daily and an amount of cash or liquid asset having an aggregate NAV at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in an account with the Custodian that satisfies the 1940 Act. A Fund also will establish and maintain such accounts with respect to its total obligations under any swaps that are not entered into on a net basis. Obligations under swap agreements so covered will not be construed to be “senior securities” for purposes of a Fund’s investment restriction concerning senior securities.
Because they are generally two-party contracts and may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid for a Fund’s illiquid investment limitations. A Fund will not enter into any swap agreement unless Rafferty believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. A Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty.
A Fund may enter into a swap agreement with respect to an index in circumstances where Rafferty believes that it may be more cost effective or practical than buying the underlying securities represented by such index or a futures contract or an option on such index. The counterparty to any swap agreement will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker-dealer. The counterparty will generally agree to pay a Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the swap agreement would have increased in value had it been invested in the particular stocks represented in the index, plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. A Fund will agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the swap agreement plus the amount, if any, by which the notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to a Fund on any swap agreement should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by a Fund on the notional amount.
The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. In addition, as discussed above, some swaps currently are, and more in the future will be, centrally cleared, which affects how swaps are transacted. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments that are traded in the OTC market. Rafferty, under the supervision of the Board, is responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of Fund transactions in swap agreements.
The use of equity swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions.
Unrated Debt Securities
A Fund may also invest in unrated debt securities. Unrated debt, while not necessarily lower in quality than rated securities, may not have as broad a market. Because of the size and perceived demand for the issue, among other factors, certain issuers may decide not to pay the cost of getting a rating for their bonds. The creditworthiness of the issuer, as well as any financial institution or other party responsible for payments on the security, will be analyzed to determine whether to purchase unrated bonds.
U.S. Government Securities
A Fund may invest in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities (“U.S. government securities”) in pursuit of its investment objective, in order to deposit such securities as initial or variation margin, as “cover” for the investment techniques it employs, as part of a cash reserve or for liquidity purposes.
U.S. government securities are high-quality instruments issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Treasury Department (“U.S. Treasury”) or by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. government. Not all U.S. government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some are backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; others are backed by discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agencies’ obligations; while others are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment.
U.S. government securities include U.S. Treasury obligations, which includes U.S. Treasury Bills (which mature within one year of the date they are issued), U.S. Treasury Notes (which have maturities of one to ten years) and U.S. Treasury Bonds (which generally have maturities of more than 10 years). All such U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.
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U.S. government securities also include obligations issued by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (such as securities issued or guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration, Freddie Mac©, Fannie Mae®, Ginnie Mae®, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the General Services Administration and the Maritime Administration and certain securities issued by the Small Business Administration).
Also, U.S. government securities include securities that are guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored entities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (such as Fannie Mae®, Freddie Mac®, or the Federal Home Loan Banks). These U.S. government-sponsored entities, although chartered and sponsored by the U.S. Congress, are not guaranteed, nor insured, by the U.S. government, They are supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or corporation.
In September 2008, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) announced that Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® had been placed in conservatorship. Since that time, Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® have received significant capital support through U.S. Treasury preferred stock purchases, as well as U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve purchases of their mortgage backed securities (“MBS”). The FHFA and the U.S. Treasury (through its agreement to purchase Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® preferred stock) have imposed strict limits on the size of their mortgage portfolios. While the MBS purchase programs ended in 2010, the U.S. Treasury continued its support for the entities’ capital as necessary to prevent a negative net worth through at least 2012. Although the U.S. Treasury and other governmental entities provided significant support to Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac®, there is no guarantee they would do so again. An FHFA stress test suggested that in a “severely adverse scenario” additional Treasury support of between $84.4 billion and $190 billion (depending on the treatment of deferred tax assets) might be required. Nonetheless, no assurance can be given that Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® will remain successful in meeting their obligations with respect to the debt and mortgage-backed securities that they issue.
In addition, the problems faced by Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac®, resulting in their being placed into federal conservatorship and receiving significant U.S. government support, have sparked serious debate among federal policy makers regarding the continued role of the U.S. government in providing liquidity for mortgage loans. In December 2011, Congress enacted the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act (“TCCA”) of 2011 which, among other provisions, requires that Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® increase their single-family guaranty fees by at least 10 basis points and remit this increase to Treasury with respect to all loans acquired by Fannie Mae® or Freddie Mac® on or after April 1, 2012 and before January 1, 2022. Serious discussions among policymakers continue, however, as to whether Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® should be nationalized, privatized, restructured, or eliminated altogether. Fannie Mae reported in the second quarter of 2014 that there was “significant uncertainty regarding the future of our company, including how long the company will continue to exist in its current form, the extent of our role in the market, what form we will have, and what ownership interest, if any, our current common and preferred stockholders will hold in us after the conservatorship is terminated and whether we will continue to exist following conservatorship.” Freddie Mac faces similar uncertainty about its future role. Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® also are the subject of several continuing legal actions and investigations over certain accounting, disclosure, or corporate governance matters, which (along with any resulting financial restatements) may continue to have an adverse effect on the guaranteeing entities.
Yields on short-, intermediate- and long-term U.S. government securities are dependent on a variety of factors, including the general conditions of the money and bond markets, the size of a particular offering and the maturity of the obligation. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher capital appreciation and depreciation than obligations with shorter maturities and lower yields. The market value of U.S. government securities generally varies inversely with changes in the market interest rates. An increase in interest rates, therefore, generally would reduce the market value of a Fund’s portfolio investments in U.S. government securities, while a decline in interest rates generally would increase the market value of a Fund’s portfolio investments in these securities.
U.S. Government Sponsored Enterprises (“GSEs”)
GSE securities are securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. Some obligations issued by GSEs are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality and others only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality. Those securities bear fixed, floating or variable rates of interest. Interest may fluctuate based on generally recognized reference rates or the relationship of rates. While the U.S. government currently provides financial support to such GSEs or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it will always do so, since it is not so obligated by law.
Certain U.S. government debt securities, such as securities of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. Others, such as securities issued by Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac®, are supported only by the credit of the corporation. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, a fund must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation in the event the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitments. The U.S. government may choose not to provide financial support to GSEs or instrumentalities if it is not legally obligated to do so. A fund will invest in securities of such instrumentalities only when Rafferty is satisfied that the credit risk with respect to any such instrumentality is comparatively minimal.
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When-Issued Securities
A Fund may enter into firm commitment agreements for the purchase of securities on a specified future date. A Fund may purchase, for example, new issues of fixed-income instruments on a when-issued basis, whereby the payment obligation, or yield to maturity, or coupon rate on the instruments may not be fixed at the time of transaction. A Fund will not purchase securities on a when-issued basis if, as a result, more than 15% of its net assets would be so invested. If a Fund enters into a firm commitment agreement, liability for the purchase price and the rights and risks of ownership of the security accrue to a Fund at the time it becomes obligated to purchase such security, although delivery and payment occur at a later date. Accordingly, if the market price of the security should decline, the effect of such an agreement would be to obligate a Fund to purchase the security at a price above the current market price on the date of delivery and payment. During the time a Fund is obligated to purchase such a security, it will be required to segregate assets with an approved custodian in an amount sufficient to settle the transaction.
Zero-Coupon, Payment-In-Kind and Strip Securities
A Fund may invest in zero-coupon, payment-in-kind and strip securities of any rating or maturity. Zero-coupon securities make no periodic interest payment but are sold at a deep discount from their face value, otherwise known as “original issue discount” or “OID.” The buyer earns a rate of return determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed at face value on a specified maturity date. The OID varies depending on the time remaining until maturity, as well as market interest rates, liquidity of the security, and the issuer’s perceived credit quality. If the issuer defaults, a Fund may not receive any return on its investment. Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest and compound semi-annually at the rate fixed at the time of issuance, their value generally is more volatile than the value of other fixed-income securities. Since zero-coupon security holders do not receive interest payments, when interest rates rise, zero-coupon securities fall more dramatically in value than securities paying interest on a current basis. When interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities rise more rapidly in value because the securities reflect a fixed rate of return. Payment-in-kind securities allow the issuer, at its option, to make current interest payments either in cash or in additional debt obligations of the issuer. Both zero-coupon securities and payment-in-kind securities allow an issuer to avoid the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments.
An investment in zero-coupon securities and delayed interest securities (which do not make interest payments until after a specified time) may cause a Fund to recognize income and be required to make distributions thereof to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on its investment. Moreover, even though payment-in-kind securities do not pay current interest in cash, a Fund nonetheless is required to accrue interest income on these investments and to distribute the interest income at least annually to shareholders. See “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes Income from Zero Coupon and Payment-in-Kind Securities.” Thus, a Fund could be required at times to liquidate other investments to satisfy distribution requirements.
A Fund may also invest in strips, which are debt securities whose interest coupons are taken out and traded separately after the securities are issued but otherwise are comparable to zero-coupon securities. Like zero-coupon securities and payment-in-kind securities, strips are generally more sensitive to interest rate fluctuations than interest paying securities of comparable term and quality.
Other Investment Risks and Practices
Borrowing. A Fund may borrow money for investment purposes, which is a form of leveraging. Leveraging investments, by purchasing securities with borrowed money, is a speculative technique that increases investment risk while increasing investment opportunity. Leverage will magnify changes in a Fund’s NAV and on a Fund’s investments. Although the principal of such borrowings will be fixed, a Fund’s assets may change in value during the time the borrowing is outstanding. Leverage also creates interest expenses for a Fund. To the extent the income derived from securities purchased with borrowed funds exceeds the interest a Fund will have to pay, that Fund’s net income will be greater than it would be if leverage were not used. Conversely, if the income from the assets obtained with borrowed funds is not sufficient to cover the cost of leveraging, the net income of a Fund will be less than it would be if leverage were not used, and therefore the amount available for distribution to shareholders as dividends will be reduced. The use of derivatives in connection with leverage creates the potential for significant loss.
A Fund may borrow money to facilitate management of a Fund’s portfolio by enabling a Fund to meet redemption requests when the liquidation of portfolio instruments would be inconvenient or disadvantageous. Such borrowing is not for investment purposes and will be repaid by the borrowing Fund promptly.
As required by the 1940 Act, a Fund must maintain continuous asset coverage (total assets, including assets acquired with borrowed funds, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of all amounts borrowed. If at any time the value of the required asset coverage declines as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, a Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio investments within three days to reduce the amount of its borrowings and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell portfolio instruments at that time.
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Lending Portfolio Securities. Each Fund may lend portfolio securities with a value not exceeding 33 1/3% of its total assets to brokers, dealers, and financial institutions. Borrowers are required continuously to secure their obligations to return securities on loan from a Fund by depositing any combination of short-term government securities, shares of registered and unregistered money market funds and cash as collateral with a Fund. The collateral must be equal to at least 100% of the market value of the loaned securities, which will be marked to market daily. The value of this collateral could decline, causing the Fund to experience a loss. While a Fund’s portfolio securities are on loan, a Fund continues to receive interest on the securities loaned and simultaneously earns either interest on the investment of the collateral or fee income if the loan is otherwise collateralized. A Fund may invest the interest received and the collateral, thereby earning additional income. Loans would be subject to termination by the lending Fund on a four-business days’ notice or by the borrower on a one-day notice. Borrowed securities must be returned when the loan is terminated. Any gain or loss in the market price of the borrowed securities that occurs during the term of the loan inures to the lending Fund and that Fund’s shareholders. A lending Fund may pay reasonable finders, borrowers, administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan. A Fund could lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed or prevented from selling the collateral after a loan is made, in recovering the securities loaned or if the Fund incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. Each Fund currently has no intention of lending its portfolio securities.
Portfolio Turnover. The Trust anticipates that each Fund’s annual portfolio turnover will vary. A Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated by the value of the securities purchased or securities sold, excluding all securities whose terms-to-maturity at the time of acquisition were less than 397 days, divided by the average monthly value of such securities owned during the year. Based on this calculation, instruments with remaining terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover rate. Such instruments generally would include futures contracts and options, since such contracts generally have remaining terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days. In any given period, all of a Fund’s investments may have remaining terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days; in that case, the portfolio turnover rate for that period would be equal to zero. However, each Fund’s portfolio turnover rate calculated with all securities whose terms-to-maturity were less than 397 days is anticipated to be unusually high.
High portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales also may result in adverse tax consequences to a Fund’s shareholders resulting from its distributions of increased net capital gains, if any, recognized as a result of the sales. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund’s performance.
Correlation and Tracking Risk
Several factors may affect each Fund's ability to obtain its daily leveraged investment objective. Among these factors are: (1) Fund expenses, including brokerage expenses and commissions and financing costs related to derivatives (which may be increased by high portfolio turnover); (2) less than all of the securities in the underlying index being held by a Fund and securities not included in the underlying index being held by a Fund; (3) an imperfect correlation between the performance of instruments held by a Fund, such as other investment companies, including ETFs, futures contracts and options, and the performance of the underlying securities in the cash market comprising an index; (4) bid-ask spreads; (5) a Fund holding instruments that are illiquid or the market for which becomes disrupted; (6) the need to conform a Fund’s portfolio holdings to comply with the Fund’s investment restrictions or policies, or regulatory or tax law requirements; (7) market movements that run counter to a Fund’s investments (which will cause divergence between a Fund and its underlying index over time due to the mathematical effects of leveraging); and (8) disruptions and illiquidity in the markets for securities or derivatives held by a Fund.
While index futures and options contracts closely correlate with the applicable indices over long periods, shorter-term deviation, such as on a daily basis, does occur with these instruments. As a result, a Fund’s short-term performance will reflect such deviation from its underlying index.
Even if there is a perfect correlation between a Fund and the leveraged return of its underlying index on a daily basis, the symmetry between the changes in the underlying index and the changes in a Fund’s NAV can be altered significantly over time by a compounding effect. For example, if a Fund achieved a perfect leveraged correlation with the underlying index on every trading day over an extended period and the level of returns of the underlying index significantly increased during that period, a compounding effect for that period would result, causing an increase in a Fund’s NAV by a percentage that is somewhat greater than the percentage that the underlying index’s returns decreased.
Leverage
Each Fund intends regularly to use leveraged investment techniques in pursuing its investment objectives. Utilization of leverage involves special risks and should be considered to be speculative. Leverage exists when a Fund achieves the right to a return on a capital base that exceeds the amount the Fund has invested. Leverage creates the potential for greater gains to shareholders of a Fund during favorable market conditions and the risk of magnified losses during adverse market
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conditions. Leverage is likely to cause higher volatility of the NAV of each Fund’s Shares. Leverage may involve the creation of a liability that does not entail any interest costs or the creation of a liability that requires a Fund to pay interest which would decrease the Fund’s total return to shareholders. If each Fund achieves its investment objective, during adverse market conditions, shareholders should experience a loss greater than they would have incurred had a Fund not been leveraged.
Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds. As discussed in the Prospectus, each Fund is “leveraged” in the sense that it has an investment objective to match 200% of the performance of its underlying index on a given day. Each Fund is subject to all of the correlation risks described in the Prospectus. In addition, there is a special form of correlation risk that derives from a Fund’s use of leverage, which is that for periods greater than one day, the use of leverage tends to cause the performance of a Fund to be either greater than, or less than, 200% of its underlying index.
A Fund’s return for periods longer than one day is primarily a function of the following:
a) underlying index performance;
b) underlying index volatility;
c) financing rates associated with leverage;
d) other fund expenses;
e) dividends paid by companies in the underlying index; and
f) period of time.
The fund performance for a Fund can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the factors described above. The tables below illustrate the impact of two factors, underlying index volatility and underlying index performance, on a Fund. Underlying index volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns of an index and is calculated as the standard deviation of the natural logarithms of one plus the index return (calculated daily), multiplied by the square root of the number of trading days per year (assumed to be 252). The tables show estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of underlying index performance and underlying index volatility over a one year period. Assumptions used in the tables include: a) no dividends paid by the companies included in the underlying index; b) no fund expenses; and c) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leverage) of zero percent. If fund expenses were included, a Fund’s performance would be lower than shown.
As shown below, a Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if its underlying index provided no return over a one year period during which its underlying index experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If its underlying index’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period for a Fund widens to approximately 43.0%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in a Fund. For instance, if an underlying index’s annualized volatility is 100%, a Fund would be expected to lose approximately 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative return of its underlying index for the year was 0%. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the underlying index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of a Fund’s underlying index.
In the table below, areas shaded green represent those scenarios where a Fund with the investment objective described will outperform (i.e., return more than) 200% of the performance of the underlying index; conversely, areas shaded red represent those scenarios where a Fund will underperform (i.e., return less than) 200% of the performance of the underlying index.
The table below is intended to underscore the fact that each Fund is designed as a short-term trading vehicle for investors who intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. Each Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For additional information regarding correlation and volatility risk for the Funds, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” in the Prospectus.
One
Year
Index
200%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -120% -84.2% -85.0% -87.5% -90.9% -94.1%
-50% -100% -75.2% -76.5% -80.5% -85.8% -90.8%
-40% -80% -64.4% -66.2% -72.0% -79.5% -86.8%
-30% -60% -51.5% -54.0% -61.8% -72.1% -82.0%
-20% -40% -36.6% -39.9% -50.2% -63.5% -76.5%
-10% -20% -19.8% -23.9% -36.9% -53.8% -70.2%
0% 0% -1.0% -6.1% -22.1% -43.0% -63.2%
10% 20% 19.8% 13.7% -5.8% -31.1% -55.5%
20% 40% 42.6% 35.3% 12.1% -18.0% -47.0%
30% 60% 67.3% 58.8% 31.6% -3.7% -37.8%
40% 80% 94.0% 84.1% 52.6% 11.7% -27.9%
50% 100% 122.8% 111.4% 75.2% 28.2% -17.2%
60% 120% 153.5% 140.5% 99.4% 45.9% -5.8%
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The foregoing table is intended to isolate the effect of underlying index volatility and underlying index performance on the return of a Fund. A Fund’s actual returns may be significantly greater or less than the returns shown above as a result of any of factors discussed above or under “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” in the Prospectus.
Investment Restrictions
The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has adopted the following investment policies which are fundamental policies that may not be changed without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. As defined by the 1940 Act, a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund” means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund or (2) 67% or more of the shares present at a shareholders’ meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy.
Each Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy of the Fund. Non-fundamental policies may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.
For purposes of the following limitations, all percentage limitations apply immediately after a purchase or initial investment. Except with respect to borrowing money, if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of the investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such restrictions. If at any time a Fund’s borrowings exceed its limitations due to a decline in net assets, such borrowings will be reduced within three days (not including Sundays and holidays), or such longer period as may be permitted by the 1940 Act, to the extent necessary to comply with the one-third limitation.
Each Fund may not:
1. Borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
2. Issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
3. Make loans, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
4. Except for any Fund that is “concentrated” in an industry or group of industries within the meaning of the 1940 Act, purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, 25% or more of a Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry. However, each Fund that tracks an underlying index will only concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent as its underlying index is so concentrated.
5. Purchase or sell real estate, except that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, each Fund may (a) invest in securities or other instruments directly secured by real estate, and (b) invest in securities or other instruments issued by issuers that invest in real estate.
6. Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments issued by persons that purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts; but this shall not prevent a Fund from purchasing, selling and entering into financial futures contracts (including futures contracts on indices of securities, interest rates and currencies), and options on financial futures contracts (including futures contracts on indices of securities, interest rates and currencies), warrants, swaps, forward contracts, foreign currency spot and forward contracts and other financial instruments.
7. Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that a Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act in the disposition of restricted securities or other investment company securities.
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage
Subject to the general supervision by the Trustees, Rafferty is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for each Fund, the selection of broker-dealers to effect the transactions, and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. Rafferty expects that a Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealers, for a commission, in conformity with the 1940 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
When selecting a broker or dealer to execute portfolio transactions, Rafferty considers many factors, including the rate of commission or the size of the broker-dealer’s “spread,” the size and difficulty of the order, the nature of the market for the security, operational capabilities of the broker-dealer and the research, statistical and economic data furnished by the broker-dealer to Rafferty.
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In effecting portfolio transactions for a Fund, Rafferty seeks to receive the closing prices of securities that are in line with those of the securities included in a Fund's underlying index and seeks to execute trades of such securities at the lowest commission rate reasonably available. With respect to agency transactions, Rafferty may execute trades at a higher rate of commission if reasonable in relation to brokerage and research services provided to a Fund or Rafferty. Such services may include the following: information as to the availability of securities for purchase or sale; statistical or factual information or opinions pertaining to investment; wire services; and appraisals or evaluations of portfolio securities. Each Fund believes that the requirement to always seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede effective portfolio management and preclude a Fund and Rafferty from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, Rafferty relies upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage and research services received from the broker effecting the transaction.
Rafferty may use research and services provided to it by brokers in servicing a Fund; however, not all such services may be used by Rafferty in connection with a Fund. While the receipt of such information and services is useful in varying degrees and generally would reduce the amount of research or services otherwise performed by Rafferty, this information and these services are of indeterminable value and would not reduce Rafferty’s investment advisory fee to be paid by a Fund.
Purchases and sales of U.S. government securities normally are transacted through issuers, underwriters or major dealers in U.S. government securities acting as principals. Such transactions are made on a net basis and do not involve payment of brokerage commissions. The cost of securities purchased from an underwriter usually includes a commission paid by the issuer to the underwriters; transactions with dealers normally reflect the spread between bid and asked prices.
No brokerage commissions are provided for the Funds because they had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
Portfolio Holdings Information
Disclosure of a Fund’s complete holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter in the Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report to Fund shareholders and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-Q. These reports are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, each Fund’s portfolio holdings will be made available on the Funds' website at www.direxioninvestments.com each day the Funds are open for business.
The portfolio composition file (“PCF”), which contains portfolio holdings information and the IOPV, which contains certain information, is made available daily, including to the Funds' service providers to facilitate the provision of services to the Funds and to certain other entities as necessary for transactions in Creation Units. Such entities may be limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) members, subscribers to various fee-based services, investors that have entered into an authorized participant agreement with the Distributor and the transfer agent or purchase Creation Units through a dealer that has entered into such an agreement (“Authorized Participants”), and other institutional market participants that provide information services. Each business day, Fund portfolio holdings information will be provided to the Distributor or other agent for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC and/or through other fee-based services to NSCC members and/or subscribers to the fee-based services, including Authorized Participants, and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading shares of Funds in the secondary market.
Daily access to the PCF file and IOPV is permitted to: (i) certain personnel of service providers that are involved in portfolio management and providing administrative, operational, or other support to portfolio management; (ii) Authorized Participants through NSCC, and (iii) other personnel of the Adviser and the Funds' distributor, administrator, custodian and fund accountant who are involved in functions which may require such information to conduct business in the ordinary course.
From time to time, rating and ranking organizations such as Standard & Poor’s® and Morningstar®, Inc. may request complete portfolio holdings information in connection with rating a Fund. To prevent such parties from potentially misusing the complete portfolio holdings information, a Fund will generally only disclose such information no earlier than one business day following the date of the information. Portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide additional services to the Funds in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC.
In addition, the Funds' Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) may grant exceptions to permit additional disclosure of the complete portfolio holdings information at differing times and with differing lag times to rating agencies and to the parties noted above, provided that (1) a Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so; (2) it is in the best interests of shareholders; (3) the recipient is subject to a confidentiality agreement; and (4) the recipient is subject to a duty not to trade on the nonpublic information. The CCO shall report any disclosures made pursuant to this exception to the Board.
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Management of the Trust
The Board of Trustees
The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board”). The Board is responsible for and oversees the overall management and operations of the Trust and the Funds, which includes the general oversight and review of the Funds' investment activities, in accordance with federal law and the law of the State of Delaware, as well as the stated policies of the Funds. The Board oversees the Trust’s officers and service providers, including Rafferty, which is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the Funds based on policies and agreements reviewed and approved by the Board. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Board regularly interacts with and receives reports from senior personnel of service providers, including personnel from Rafferty and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (“USBFS”). The Board also is assisted by the Trust’s independent auditor (who reports directly to the Trust’s Audit Committee), independent counsel and other professionals as appropriate.
Risk Oversight
Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Trust and the Funds, the Board oversees the management of risks relating to the administration and operation of the Trust and the Funds. Rafferty, as part of its responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the Funds, is responsible for day-to-day risk management for the Funds. The Board, in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment performs its risk management oversight directly and, as to certain matters, through its committees (described below) and through the Board members who are not “interested persons” of the Funds as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees.”) The following provides an overview of the principal, but not all, aspects of the Board’s oversight of risk management for the Trust and the Funds.
The Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures designed to address risks to the Trust and the Funds. In addition, under the general oversight of the Board, Rafferty and other service providers to the Funds have themselves adopted a variety of policies, procedures and controls designed to address particular risks to the Funds. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks.
The Board also oversees risk management for the Trust and the Funds through review of regular reports, presentations and other information from officers of the Trust and other persons. The Trust’s CCO and senior officers of Rafferty regularly report to the Board on a range of matters, including those relating to risk management. The Board also regularly receives reports from Rafferty and USBFS with respect to the Funds' investments. In addition to regular reports from these parties, the Board also receives reports regarding other service providers to the Trust, either directly or through Rafferty, USBFS or the CCO, on a periodic or regular basis. At least annually, the Board receives a report from the CCO regarding the effectiveness of the Funds' compliance program. Also, on an annual basis, the Board receives reports, presentations and other information from Rafferty in connection with the Board’s consideration of the renewal of each of the Trust’s agreements with Rafferty and the Trust’s distribution plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
The CCO reports regularly to the Board on Fund valuation matters. The Audit Committee receives regular reports from the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm on internal control and financial reporting matters. On at least a quarterly basis, the Independent Trustees meet with the CCO to discuss matters relating to the Funds' compliance program.
Board Structure and Related Matters
Independent Trustees constitute two-thirds of the Board. The Trustees discharge their responsibilities collectively as a Board, as well as through Board committees, each of which operates pursuant to a charter approved by the Board that delineates the specific responsibilities of that committee. The Board has established three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. For example, the Audit Committee is responsible for specific matters related to oversight of the Funds' independent auditors, subject to approval of the Audit Committee’s recommendations by the Board. The members and responsibilities of each Board committee are summarized below.
The Board periodically evaluates its structure and composition as well as various aspects of its operations. The Chairman of the Board is not an Independent Trustee and the Board has chosen not to have a lead Independent Trustee. However, the Board believes that its leadership structure, including its Independent Trustees and Board committees, is appropriate for the Trust in light of, among other factors, the asset size and nature of the Funds, the number of series overseen by the Board, the arrangements for the conduct of the Funds' operations, the number of Trustees, and the Board’s responsibilities. On an annual basis, the Board conducts a self-evaluation that considers, among other matters, whether the Board and its committees are functioning effectively and whether, given the size and composition of the Board and each of its committees, the Trustees are able to oversee effectively the number of portfolios in the complex.
The Trust is part of the Direxion Family of Investment Companies, which is comprised of the 142 portfolios within the Trust, 24 portfolios within the Direxion Funds and no portfolios within the Direxion Insurance Trust. The same persons who constitute the Board also constitute the Board of Trustees of the Direxion Funds and the Direxion Insurance Trust.
The Board holds four regularly scheduled in-person meetings each year. The Board may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone, to address matters arising between regular meetings. During a portion of each in-person
32

 

meeting, the Independent Trustees meet outside of management’s presence. The Independent Trustees may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone.
The Trustees of the Trust are identified in the tables below, which provide information regarding their age, business address and principal occupation during the past five years including any affiliation with Rafferty, the length of service to the Trust, and the position, if any, that they hold on the board of directors of companies other than the Trust as of the date of this SAI. Each of the Trustees of the Trust also serve on the Board of the Direxion Funds and Direxion Insurance Trust, the other registered investment companies in the Direxion mutual fund complex. Unless otherwise noted, an individual’s business address is 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019.
Interested Trustees
Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held
with Fund
Term of
Office
and Length
of Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other
Trusteeships/
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past Five
Years
Daniel D. O’Neill(1)
Age: 48
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2008
Managing Director of Rafferty, 1999-present. 166 None.
Eric W. Falkeis(2)
Age: 43
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2014
Chief Operating Officer, since April 2014, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC; formerly, President Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, March 2013 – April 2014; formerly, Senior Vice President, USBFS, September 2007 March 2013; Chief Financial Officer, USBFS, April 2006 March 2013; Vice President, USBFS, 1997-2007; formerly, Chief Financial Officer, Quasar Distributors, LLC (2000-2003).
166 Trustee, Professionally Managed Portfolios
(31 Funds).
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Independent Trustees
Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held
with Fund
Term of
Office
and Length
of Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other
Trusteeships/
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past Five
Years
Gerald E. Shanley III
Age: 73
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2008
Retired, Since 2002; Business Consultant, 1985-present; Trustee of Trust Under Will of Charles S. Payson, 1987-present; C.P.A., 1979-present.
166 None.
John A. Weisser
Age: 75
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2008
Retired, Since 1995; Salomon Brothers, Inc., 1971-1995, most recently as Managing Director. 166 Director until December 2016: The MainStay Funds Trust, The MainStay Funds, MainStay VP Fund Series, Mainstay Defined Term Municipal Opportunities Fund; Private Advisors Alternative Strategy Fund; Private Advisors Alternative Strategies Master Fund.
David L. Driscoll
Age: 47
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2014
Partner, King Associates, LLP, since 2004; Board Advisor, University Common Real Estate, since 2012; Principal, Grey Oaks LLP since 2003; Member, Kendrick LLC, since 2006.
166 None.
Jacob C. Gaffey
Age: 68
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2014
Managing Director of Loomis & Co. since 2012; Partner, Bay Capital Advisors, LLC
2008 2012.
166 None.
(1) Mr. O’Neill is affiliated with Rafferty. Mr. O’Neill is the Managing Director of Rafferty and owns a beneficial interest in Rafferty.
(2) Mr. Falkeis is affiliated with Rafferty. Mr. Falkeis is the Chief Operating Officer of Rafferty.
(3) The Direxion Family of Investment Companies consists of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 80 of the 142 funds registered with the SEC, the Direxion Funds which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 18 of the 24 funds registered with the SEC and the Direxion Insurance Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, does not have any funds registered with the SEC.
In addition to the information set forth in the tables above and other relevant qualifications, experience, attributes or skills applicable to a particular Trustee, the following provides further information about the qualifications and experience of each Trustee.
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Daniel D. O’Neill: Mr. O’Neill has extensive experience in the investment management business, including as managing director of Rafferty. Mr. O’Neill has been the Managing Director of Rafferty since 1999.
Eric W. Falkeis: Mr. Falkeis has extensive experience in the financial services business. He is a certified public accountant. Prior to joining Rafferty in 2013, Mr. Falkeis was Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of USBFS. USBFS provides fund administration, fund accounting and transfer agency services to registered investment companies and non-registered investment companies. Mr. Falkeis is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Rafferty.
Gerald E. Shanley III: Mr. Shanley has extensive audit experience and spent ten years in the tax practice of an international public accounting firm. He is a certified public accountant and has a JD degree. He has extensive business experience as the president of a closely held manufacturing company, a director of several closely held companies, a business and tax consultant and a trustee of a private investment trust. He has served on the boards of several charitable and not for profit organizations. He also has multiple years of service as a Trustee.
John A. Weisser: Mr. Weisser has extensive experience in the investment management business, including as managing director of an investment bank and a director of other registered investment companies. He also has multiple years of service as a Trustee.
David L. Driscoll: Mr. Driscoll has extensive experience with risk assessment and strategic planning as a partner and manager of various real estate partnerships and companies.
Jacob C. Gaffey: Mr. Gaffey has extensive experience with providing investment banking and valuation services to various companies. Mr. Gaffey has been a director and a member of an audit committee of a public company since 2011.
Board Committees
The Trust has an Audit Committee, consisting of Messrs. Weisser, Shanley, Driscoll and Gaffey. The members of the Audit Committee are Independent Trustees. The primary responsibilities of the Trust’s Audit Committee are, as set forth in its charter, to make recommendations to the Board Members as to: the engagement or discharge of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm (including the audit fees charged by the auditors); the supervision of investigations into matters relating to audit matters; the review with the independent registered public accounting firm of the results of audits; and addressing any other matters regarding audits. The Audit Committee met twice during the Trust’s most recent fiscal year.
The Trust also has a Nominating and Governance Committee, consisting of Messrs. Weisser, Shanley, Driscoll and Gaffey each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The primary responsibilities of the Nominating and Governance Committee are to make recommendations to the Board on issues related to the composition and operation of the Board, and communicate with management on those issues. The Nominating and Governance Committee also evaluates and nominates Board member candidates. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Such recommendations should be in writing and addressed to a Fund with attention to the Nominating and Governance Committee Chair. The recommendations must include the following Preliminary Information regarding the nominee: (1) name; (2) date of birth; (3) education; (4) business professional or other relevant experience and areas of expertise; (5) current business and home addresses and contact information; (6) other board positions or prior experience; and (7) any knowledge and experience relating to investment companies and investment company governance. The Nominating and Governance Committee met once during the Trust’s most recent fiscal year.
The Trust has a Qualified Legal Compliance Committee, consisting of Messrs. Weisser, Shanley, Driscoll and Gaffey. The members of the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee are Independent Trustees of the Trust. The primary responsibility of the Trust’s Qualified Legal Compliance Committee is to receive, review and take appropriate action with respect to any report (“Report”) made or referred to the Committee by an attorney of evidence of a material violation of applicable U.S. federal or state securities law, material breach of a fiduciary duty under U.S. federal or state law or a similar material violation by the Trust or by any officer, director, employee or agent of the Trust. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee did not meet during the Trust’s most recent fiscal year.
Principal Officers of the Trust
The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. Unless otherwise noted, an individual’s business address is 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019. As of the date of this SAI, the officers of the Trust, their ages, their business address and their principal occupations during the past five years are as follows:
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Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held with
Fund
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in the
Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other Trusteeships/
Directorships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years
Daniel D. O’Neill(1)
Age: 48
Chief
Executive
Officer and
Chief
Investment
Officer
One Year;
Since 2008
Managing Director of Rafferty, 1999-present. 166 N/A
Eric W. Falkeis(2)
Age: 43
Principal
Executive
Officer
One Year;
Since 2014
Chief Operating Officer, since April 2014, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC; formerly, President, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, March 2013 – April 2014; formerly, Senior Vice President, USBFS, September 2007 March 2013; Chief Financial Officer, USBFS, April 2006 March 2013; Vice President, USBFS, 1997-2007; formerly, Chief Financial Officer, Quasar Distributors, LLC (2000-2003).
166 Trustee,
Professionally
Managed Portfolios
(31 Funds).
Patrick J. Rudnick
Age: 43
Principal
Financial
Officer and
Assistant
Secretary
One Year;
Since 2010
Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, since March 2013; formerly Vice President, USBFS (2006-2013); formerly, Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (1999-2006).
N/A N/A
Angela Brickl
Age: 40
Secretary One Year;
Since 2011
General Counsel, Rafferty Asset Management LLC, since October 2010; formerly Chief Compliance Officer, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (2012-2016).
N/A N/A
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Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held with
Fund
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in the
Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other Trusteeships/
Directorships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years
Kent Barnes
Age: 48
Chief Compliance Officer One Year;
Since 2016
Director of Compliance, since April 2016, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC; formerly General Counsel – Alternative Investments, USBFS
(2006-2016)
N/A N/A
(1) Mr. O’Neill serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Direxion Funds, Direxion Insurance Trust and Direxion Shares ETF Trust.
(2) Mr. Falkeis serves as a Trustee of the Direxion Funds, Direxion Insurance Trust and Direxion Shares ETF Trust.
(3) The Direxion Family of Investment Companies consists of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 80 of the 142 funds registered with the SEC, the Direxion Funds which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 18 of the 24 funds registered with the SEC and the Direxion Insurance Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, does not have any funds registered with the SEC.
Because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, no Trustee owned Shares of the Funds as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2016.
The following table shows the amount of equity securities owned in the Direxion Family of Investment Companies by the Trustees as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2016:
Dollar Range of Equity Securities Owned: Interested Trustees: Independent Trustees:
  Daniel D.
O’Neill
Eric W.
Falkeis
Gerald E.
Shanley III
John
Weisser
David L.
Driscoll
Jacob C.
Gaffey
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Direxion Family of Investment Companies(1) Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
$0 $1-$10,000 $0 $0
(1) The Direxion Family of Investment Companies consists of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 80 of the 142 funds registered with the SEC, the Direxion Funds which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 18 of the 24 funds registered with the SEC and the Direxion Insurance Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, does not have any funds registered with the SEC.
The Trust’s Trust Instrument provides that the Trustees will not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. However, they are not protected against any liability to which they would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of their office.
No officer, director or employee of Rafferty receives any compensation from the Funds for acting as a Trustee or officer of the Trust. The following table shows the compensation earned by each Trustee for the Trust’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2016:
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Name of Person,
Position
Aggregate
Compensation
From the
Trust(1)
Pension or
Retirement Benefits
Accrued As Part of
the Trust’s
Expenses
Estimated
Annual Benefits
Upon Retirement
Aggregate
Compensation
From the Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies Paid
to the Trustees(2)
Interested Trustees
Daniel D. O’Neill $0 $0 $0 $0
Eric W. Falkeis $0 $0 $0 $0
Independent Trustees
Gerald E. Shanley III $75,000 $0 $0 $100,000
John A. Weisser $75,000 $0 $0 $100,000
David L. Driscoll $60,000 $0 $0 $80,000
Jacob C. Gaffey $60,000 $0 $0 $80,000
(1)
Costs associated with Trustee compensation are allocated across the operational funds based on the net assets of each fund in the Trust.
(2)
For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, Trustees’ fees and expenses in the amount of $270,000 were incurred by the Trust.
Principal Shareholders, Control Persons and Management Ownership
A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a Fund. A control person is a shareholder that owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of a Fund.
Because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, the Funds did not have control persons or principal shareholders and the Trustees and Officers did not own shares of the Funds.
Investment Adviser
Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019, provides investment advice to the Funds. Rafferty was organized as a New York limited liability company in June 1997.
Under an Investment Advisory Agreement (“Advisory Agreement”) between the Trust, on behalf of each Fund, and Rafferty dated August 13, 2008, Rafferty provides a continuous investment program for each Fund’s assets in accordance with its investment objectives, policies and limitations, and oversees the day-to-day operations of each Fund, subject to the supervision of the Trustees. Rafferty bears all costs associated with providing these advisory services and the expenses of the Trustees who are affiliated with or interested persons of Rafferty. The Trust bears all other expenses that are not assumed by Rafferty as described in the Prospectus. The Trust also is liable for nonrecurring expenses as may arise, including litigation to which a Fund may be a party. The Trust also may have an obligation to indemnify its Trustees and officers with respect to any such litigation.
The Advisory Agreement was initially approved by the Trustees (including all Independent Trustees) and Rafferty, as sole shareholder of each Fund in compliance with the 1940 Act. The Advisory Agreement with respect to the Funds will continue in force for an initial period of two years after the date of its approval. The Advisory Agreement is renewable from year to year with respect to each Fund, so long as its continuance is approved at least annually (1) by the vote, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose, of a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Trust; and (2) by the majority vote of either the full Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of a Fund. The Advisory Agreement automatically terminates on assignment and is terminable on a 60-day written notice either by the Trust or Rafferty.
Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, each Fund pays Rafferty a fee at an annualized rate based on a percentage of its average daily net assets of 0.75% for the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares and 0.60% for the Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares.
No advisory fees are provided for the Funds because they had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
Pursuant to a separate Management Services Agreement, Rafferty performs certain administrative services on behalf of the Funds, such as negotiating, coordinating and implementing the Trust’s contractual obligations with the Funds' service providers; monitoring, overseeing and reviewing the performance of such service providers to ensure adherence to applicable contractual obligations; and preparing or coordinating reports and presentations to the Board of Trustees with respect to such service providers as requested or as deemed necessary; and other services that are described in the Management Services Agreement. For these services, the Trust pays to Rafferty a fee at the annual rate of 0.02% of average daily net assets for each of the Funds. This Management Services Fee may be waived under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement that Rafferty has entered into with each Fund. This arrangement may be terminated at any time by the approval of the Board.
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Each Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses. Rafferty has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with each Fund. Under this Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse each Fund for Other Expenses (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses) through September 1, 2018 to the extent that each Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% for the Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 2X Shares and 0.80% for the Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 2X Shares of each Fund’s daily net assets. Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by a Fund only within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated at any time at the discretion of the Board upon notice to the Adviser and without the approval of Fund shareholders. The agreement may be terminated by the Adviser only with the consent of the Board.
Rafferty shall not be liable to the Trust or any shareholder for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its agreement with the Trust or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security.
Pursuant to Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act and Rule 17j-1 thereunder, the Trust, Rafferty and the Funds' distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics. These codes permit portfolio managers and other access persons of a Fund to invest in securities that may be owned by a Fund, subject to certain restrictions.
Portfolio Managers
Paul Brigandi and Tony Ng are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds. An investment trading team of Rafferty employees assists Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng in the day-to-day management of the Funds subject to their primary responsibility and oversight. The Portfolio Managers work with the investment trading team to decide the target allocation of each Fund’s investments and on a day-to-day basis, an individual portfolio trader executes transactions for the Funds consistent with the target allocation. The members of the investment trading team rotate among the various series of the Trust, including the Funds, periodically so that no single individual is assigned to a specific Fund for extended periods of time.
In addition to the Funds, Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng manage the following other accounts as of March 31, 2017:
Accounts Total Number
of Accounts
Total Assets
(In Billions)
Total Number of
Accounts with
Performance
Based Fees
Total Assets
of Accounts
with Performance
Based Fees
Registered Investment Companies 106 $12.4 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0 $ 0 0 $0
Other Accounts 0 $ 0 0 $0
Rafferty manages no other accounts with investment objectives similar to those of the Funds. In addition, two or more funds advised by Rafferty may invest in the same securities but the nature of each investment (long or short) may be opposite and in different proportions. Rafferty ordinarily executes transactions for a Fund “market-on-close,” in which funds purchasing or selling the same security receive the same closing price.
Rafferty has not identified any additional material conflicts between a Fund and other accounts managed by the investment team. However, other actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise in connection with the day-to-day management of a Fund and other accounts. The management of a Fund and other accounts may result in unequal time and attention being devoted to a Fund and other accounts. Rafferty’s management fees for the services it provides to other accounts varies and may be higher or lower than the advisory fees it receives from a Fund. This could create potential conflicts of interest in which the portfolio manager may appear to favor one investment vehicle over another resulting in an account paying higher fees or one investment vehicle out performing another.
The investment team’s compensation is paid by Rafferty. Their compensation primarily consists of a fixed base salary and a bonus. The investment team’s salary is reviewed annually and increases are determined by factors such as performance and seniority. Bonuses are determined by the individual performance of an employee including factors such as attention to detail, process, and efficiency, and are impacted by the overall performance of the firm. The investment team’s salary and bonus are not based on a Fund’s performance and as a result, no benchmarks are used. Along with all other employees of Rafferty, the investment team may participate in the firm’s 401(k) retirement plan where Rafferty may make matching contributions up to a defined percentage of their salary.
Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng did not own any shares of the Funds as of March 31, 2017.
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Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
The Board has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures (“Proxy Policies”) wherein the Trust has delegated to Rafferty the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by a Fund as part of their investment advisory services, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Board. The Proxy Voting Policies of Rafferty are attached as Appendix B. Notwithstanding this delegation of responsibilities, however, each Fund retains the right to vote proxies relating to its portfolio securities. The fundamental purpose of the Proxy Policies is to ensure that each vote will be in a manner that reflects the best interest of a Fund and its shareholders, taking into account the value of a Fund’s investments.
More Information. The actual voting records relating to portfolio securities for future 12-month periods ending June 30 will be available without charge, upon request by calling toll-free, 866-476-7523 or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Fund Administrator, Fund Accounting Agent, Transfer Agent and Custodian
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as the Funds' administrator. The Bank of New York Mellon, 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286, serves as the Funds' transfer agent, and custodian. Rafferty also performs certain administrative services for the Funds.
Pursuant to a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Trust and USBFS, USBFS provides the Trust with administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services). As compensation for these services, the Trust pays USBFS a fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets. USBFS also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
Pursuant to a Fund Accounting Agreement between the Trust and BNYM, BNYM provides the Trust with accounting services, including portfolio accounting services, tax accounting services and furnishing financial reports. As compensation for these accounting services, the Trust pays BNYM a fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets and a minimum annual per fund fee, subject to certain negotiated fee waivers. BNYM also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above, including pricing expenses.
Pursuant to a Custody Agreement, BNYM serves as the custodian of a Fund’s assets. The custodian holds and administers the assets in a Fund’s portfolios. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the custodian receives an annual fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets and certain settlement charges. The custodian also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
Pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Trust and BNYM, BNYM provides the Trust with transfer agency services, which includes Creation and Redemption Unit order processing. As compensation for these transfer agency services, the Trust pays BNYM a fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets and a minimum annual complex fee. BNYM also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above.
No administrative and accounting services fees, custodian fees or transfer agent fees are shown for the Funds because they had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
Distributor
Foreside Fund Services, LLC, located at 3 Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, serves as the distributor (“Distributor”) in connection with the continuous offering of each Fund’s shares. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The Trust offers Shares of the Funds for sale through the Distributor in Creation Units, as described below. The Distributor will not sell or redeem Shares in quantities less than Creation Units. The Distributor will deliver a Prospectus to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of Creation Unit orders placed and confirmations furnished by it. Pursuant to a written agreement, the Adviser pays the Distributor for distribution-related services. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, the Distributor received $877,930 as compensation from Rafferty for distribution services for each series of the Trust. The Funds were not operational as of October 31, 2016, therefore Rafferty did not pay fees for distribution services for the Funds.
The Adviser may pay certain broker-dealers, banks and other financial intermediaries for participating in activities that are designed to make registered representatives and other professionals more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including each Fund, or for other activities such as participating in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems. The Adviser had arrangements to make payments based on an annual fee for its services, as well as based on the average daily assets held by Schwab customers in certain funds managed by the Adviser, for services other than for the educational programs and marketing activities described above, only to Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”). Pursuant to the arrangement with Schwab, Schwab has agreed to promote select funds managed by the Adviser, to Schwab’s customers and not to charge certain of its customers any commissions when those customers purchase or sell shares of those funds. Payments to a broker-dealer or intermediary may create potential conflicts of interest between the broker-dealer or intermediary and its clients. These amounts, which may be significant, are paid by the Adviser from its own resources and not from the assets of funds managed by the Adviser.
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Although a portion of the Adviser’s revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by each Fund, other ETFs advised by the Adviser or other exchange-traded products, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, a Fund or other funds managed by the Adviser.
Distribution Plan
Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, as amended, (the “Rule”) provides that an investment company may bear expenses of distributing its shares only pursuant to a plan adopted in accordance with the Rule. The Trustees have adopted a Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan (“Rule 12b-1 Plan”) pursuant to which each Fund may pay certain expenses incurred in the distribution of its shares and the servicing and maintenance of existing shareholder accounts. The Distributor, as the Funds' principal underwriter, and Rafferty may have a direct or indirect financial interest in the Rule 12b-1 Plan or any related agreement. Pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 Plan, each Fund may pay a fee of up to 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. No Rule 12b-1 fee is currently being charged to the Funds.
The Rule 12b-1 Plan was approved by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Funds. In approving the Rule 12b-1 Plan, the Trustees determined that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Rule 12b-1 Plan will benefit each Fund and its shareholders. The Trustees will review quarterly and annually a written report provided by the Treasurer of the amounts expended under the Rule 12b-1 Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made.
The Rule 12b-1 Plan permits payments to be made by each Fund to the Distributor or other third parties for expenditures incurred in connection with the distribution of Fund shares to investors and the provision of certain shareholder services. The Distributor or other third parties are authorized to engage in advertising, the preparation and distribution of sales literature and other promotional activities on behalf of each Fund. In addition, the Rule 12b-1 Plan authorizes payments by each Fund to the Distributor or other third parties for the cost related to selling or servicing efforts, preparing, printing and distributing Fund prospectuses, statements of additional information, and shareholder reports to investors.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Ernst & Young LLP (“EY”), 220 South Sixth Street, Suite 1400, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, is the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust.
Legal Counsel
The Trust has selected K&L Gates LLP, 1601 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006, as its legal counsel.
Determination of Net Asset Value
A fund’s share price is known as its NAV. Each Fund’s share price is calculated as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“Valuation Time”), each day the NYSE is open for business (“Business Day”). The NYSE is open for business Monday through Friday, except in observation of the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. In addition to these holidays, the Bond Market is not open on Columbus Day and Veterans' Day. The NYSE may close early on the business day before each of these holidays and on the day after Thanksgiving Day. NYSE holiday schedules are subject to change without notice.
However, on days that the bond markets close all day, which currently includes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day (a “Bond Market Holiday”), the Funds do not calculate their NAV, even if the NYSE is open for business. On such days, orders for purchase or redemption will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday. Similarly, on days that the bond markets close early but the NYSE does not (usually at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, and which currently include the Friday before Memorial Day and New Year’s Eve), the Funds treat the portion of the day that the bond markets are closed as a Bond Market Holiday and calculates their NAVs as of the recommended closing time for the bond markets, which may be before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, subject to the discretion of the Adviser. In such instances, orders for purchase or redemption that are received prior to the close of the bond markets will receive the NAV calculated at the time of the bond markets closure, whereas orders for purchase or redemption that are received thereafter will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday.
If the exchange or market on which a Fund’s investments are primarily traded closes early, the NAV may be calculated prior to its normal calculation time. Creation/redemption transaction order time cutoffs would also be accelerated. The value of a Fund’s assets that trade in markets outside the United States or in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar may fluctuate when foreign markets are open but a Fund is not open for business.
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A security listed or traded on an exchange, domestic or foreign, is valued at its last sales price on the principal exchange on which it is traded prior to the time when assets are valued. If no sale is reported at that time, the mean of the last bid and asked prices is used. Securities primarily traded on the NASDAQ Global Market® (“NASDAQ®”) for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ® Official Closing Price (“NOCP”) provided by NASDAQ® each Business Day. The NOCP is the most recently reported price as of 4:00:02 p.m. Eastern Time, unless that price is outside the range of the “inside” bid and asked prices’ in that case, NASDAQ® will adjust the price to equal the inside bid or asked price, whichever is closer. If the NOCP is not available, such securities shall be valued at the last sale price on the day of valuation, or if there has been no sale on such day, at the mean between the bid and asked prices.
When market quotations for options and futures positions held by a Fund are readily available, those positions will be valued based upon such quotations. Securities and other assets for which market quotations are not readily available, or for which Rafferty has reason to question the validity of quotations received, are valued at fair value by procedures as adopted by the Board.
For purposes of determining NAV per share of a Fund, options and futures contracts are valued at the last sales price of the exchange on which they trade. The value of a futures contract equals the unrealized gain or loss on the contract that is determined by marking the contract to the last sale price for a like contract acquired on the day on which the futures contract is being valued. The value of options on futures contracts is determined based upon the last sale price for a like option acquired on the day on which the option is being valued. A last sale price may not be used for the foregoing purposes if the market makes a limited move with respect to a particular instrument.
For valuation purposes, quotations of foreign securities or other assets denominated in foreign currencies are translated to U.S. Dollar equivalents using the net foreign exchange rate in effect at the close of the stock exchange in the country where the security is issued. Short-term debt instruments having a maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value. If the Board determines that the amortized cost method does not represent the fair value of the short-term debt instrument, the investment will be valued at fair value as determined by procedures as adopted by the Board. U.S. government securities are valued at the mean between the closing bid and asked price provided by an independent third party pricing service (“Pricing Service”).
OTC securities held by a Fund will be valued at the last sales price or, if no sales price is reported, the mean of the last bid and asked price is used. The portfolio securities of a Fund that are listed on national exchanges are valued at the last sales price of such securities; if no sales price is reported, the mean of the last bid and asked price is used.
Swaps are valued based upon prices from third party vendor models or quotations from market makers to the extent available.
Dividend income and other distributions are recorded on the ex-distribution date.
Illiquid securities, securities for which reliable quotations or pricing services are not readily available, all other assets not valued in accordance with the foregoing principles or for which pricing information is deemed unreliable, or to the Adviser’s knowledge, does not reflect a significant event occurring in the market, the security or asset will be valued at their respective fair value as determined in good faith by, or under procedures established by, the Trustees, which procedures may include the delegation of certain responsibilities regarding valuation to Rafferty or the officers of the Trust. The officers of the Trust report, as necessary, to the Trustees regarding portfolio valuation determinations. The Trustees, from time to time, will review these methods of valuation and will recommend changes that may be necessary to assure that the investments of a Fund are valued at fair value.
Additional Information Concerning Shares
Organization and Description of Shares of Beneficial Interest
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust and registered investment company. The Trust was organized on April 23, 2008, and has authorized capital of unlimited Shares of beneficial interest of no par value which may be issued in more than one class or series. Currently, the Trust consists of multiple separately managed series. The Board may designate additional series of beneficial interest and classify Shares of a particular series into one or more classes of that series.
All Shares of the Trust are freely transferable. The Shares do not have preemptive rights or cumulative voting rights, and none of the Shares have any preference to conversion, exchange, dividends, retirements, liquidation, redemption, or any other feature. Shares have equal voting rights, except that, in a matter affecting a particular series or class of Shares, only Shares of that series of class may be entitled to vote on the matter. Trust shareholders are entitled to require the Trust to redeem Creation Units of their Shares. The Trust Instrument confers upon the Broad of Trustees the power, by resolution, to alter the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that Shares of the Trust may be individually redeemable. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the stock prices of Shares of the Trust to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any such adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits which would have no effect on the net assets of the applicable Fund.
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Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual shareholders meeting if the 1940 Act does not require such a meeting. Generally, there will not be annual meetings of Trust shareholders. Trust shareholders may remove Trustees from office by votes cast at a meeting of Trust shareholders or by written consent. If requested by shareholders of at least 10% of the outstanding Shares of the Trust, the Trust will call a meeting of a Fund’s shareholders for the purpose of voting upon the question of removal of a Trustee of the Trust and will assist in communications with other Trust shareholders.
The Trust Instrument disclaims liability of the shareholders of the officers of the Trust for acts or obligations of the Trust which are binding only on the assets and property of the Trust. The Trust Instrument provides for indemnification from the Trust’s property for all loss and expense of any Fund shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. The risk of a Trust shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Funds would not be able to meet the Trust’s obligations and this risk, thus, should be considered remote.
If a Fund does not grow to a size to permit it to be economically viable, the Fund may cease operations. In such an event, investors may be required to liquidate or transfer their investments at an inopportune time.
Book Entry Only System
The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depositary for the Shares. Shares of each Fund are represented by global securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except as provided below, certificates will not be issued for Shares.
DTC has advised the Trust as follows: it is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC was created to hold securities of its participants (“DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE, the AMEX and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (“Indirect Participants”). DTC agrees with and represents to DTC Participants that it will administer its book-entry system in accordance with its rules and by-laws and requirements of law. Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of Shares. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in Shares.
Beneficial owners of Shares are not entitled to have Shares registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificates in definitive form and are not considered the registered holder thereof. Accordingly, each Beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC, the DTC Participant and any Indirect Participant through which such Beneficial owner holds its interests, to exercise any rights of a holder of Shares. The Trust understands that under existing industry practice, in the event the Trust requests any action of holders of Shares, or a Beneficial owner desires to take any action that DTC, as the record owner of all outstanding Shares, is entitled to take, DTC would authorize the DTC Participants to take such action and that the DTC Participants would authorize the Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners acting through such DTC Participants to take such action and would otherwise act upon the instructions of Beneficial owners owning through them. As described above, the Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the owner of all Shares for all purposes. Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of Share holdings of each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Distributions of Shares shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers
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in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants. The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspects of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to Shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of Shares, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange. The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds but certain brokers may make a dividend reinvestment service available to their clients. Brokers offering such services may require investors to adhere to specific procedures and timetables in order to participate. Investors interested in such a service should contact their broker for availability and other necessary details.
Purchases and Redemptions
The Trust issues and redeems Shares of each Fund only in aggregations of Creation Units. The number of Shares of a Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for each Fund and the value of such Creation Unit as of each Fund’s inception were 50,000 and $1,250,000, respectively.
See “Purchase and Issuance of Shares in Creation Units” and “Redemption of Creation Units” below. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of Shares outstanding of each Fund, and may make a corresponding change in the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per Shares price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board for any other reason.
Purchase and Issuance of Creation Units
The Trust issues and sells Shares only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at their NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined above), of an order in proper form.
Creation Units of Shares may be purchased only by or through an Authorized Participant. Such Authorized Participant will agree pursuant to the terms of such Authorized Participant Agreement on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, as the case may be, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Balancing Amount and the transaction fee described below. The Authorized Participant may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Balancing Amount. Investors who are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement, and that therefore orders to purchase Creation Units of Shares may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor.
Purchases through the Clearing Process
An Authorized Participant may place an order to purchase (or redeem) Creation Units (i) through the Continuous Net Settlement clearing processes of NSCC as such processes have been enhanced to effect purchases (and redemptions) of Creation Units, such processes being referred to herein as the “Enhanced Clearing Process,” or (ii) outside the Enhanced Clearing Process, being referred to herein as the Manual Clearing Process. To purchase or redeem through the Enhanced Clearing Process, an Authorized Participant must be a member of National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) that is eligible to use the Continuous Net Settlement system. For purchase orders placed through the Enhanced Clearing Process, in the Authorized Participant Agreement the Participant authorizes the Transfer Agent to transmit to the NSCC, on behalf of an Authorized Participant, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Authorized Participant’s purchase order. Pursuant to such trade instructions to the NSCC, the Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the Portfolio Deposit and such additional information as may be required by the Transfer Agent or the Distributor. A purchase order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent’s automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Authorized Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day's NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day.
The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of Shares of a Fund consists of either cash or the Deposit Securities that is a representative sample of the securities in a Fund's underlying index, the Balancing Amount, and the appropriate Transaction Fee (collectively, the “Portfolio Deposit”). The Balancing Amount will be the amount equal to the differential, if any, between
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the total aggregate market value of the Deposit Securities and the NAV of the Creation Unit(s) being purchased and will be paid to, or received from, the Trust after the NAV has been calculated.
BNYM makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day, either immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange or the night before, the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for a Fund. Such Portfolio Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of Shares of a Fund until such time as the next-announced Portfolio Deposit made available.
The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by Rafferty with a view to the investment objective of a Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the securities constituting the relevant securities index. In addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Balancing Amount to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or for other similar reasons. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to Rafferty on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Portfolio Deposit, in the composition of the subject index being tracked by a Fund, or resulting from stock splits and other corporate actions.
In addition to the list of names and numbers of securities constituting the current Deposit Securities of a Portfolio Deposit, on each Business Day, the Balancing Amount effective through and including the previous Business Day, per outstanding Share of a Fund, will be made available.
Shares may be issued in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a greater value than the NAV of the Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to the available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Balancing Amount, plus (ii) 115% of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”). An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Trust, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to 115% of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Participation Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian Bank or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a transaction fee, as listed below, will be charged in all cases. The delivery of Shares so purchased will occur no later than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of Shares may take longer than three Business Days following the day on which the purchase order is received. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of local holiday periods. A list of local holidays in the foreign countries or markets relevant to the international funds is set forth under “Regular Foreign Holidays” below.
All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.
Purchases through the Manual Clearing Process
An Authorized Participant that wishes to place an order to purchase Creation Units outside the Enhanced Clearing Process must state that it is not using the Enhanced Clearing Process and that the purchase instead will be effected through a transfer of securities and cash either through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities) or directly through DTC. Purchases (and redemptions) of Creation Units of a Fund settled outside the Enhanced Clearing Process will be subject to a higher Transaction Fee than those settled through the Enhanced Clearing Process. Purchase orders effected outside the Enhanced Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the Authorized Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the Enhanced Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the Enhanced Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities) by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of the Portfolio Deposit.
Rejection of Purchase Orders
The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject a purchase order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of each Fund if (a) the purchaser or group of purchasers, upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of each Fund; (b) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as specified by Rafferty and Rafferty has not consented to acceptance of an in-kind deposit that varies from the designated Deposit Securities; (c) acceptance of the
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purchase transaction order would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (d) the acceptance of the purchase transaction order would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (e) the acceptance of the purchase transaction order would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or Rafferty, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; (f) the value of a Cash Purchase Amount, or the value of the Balancing Amount to accompany an in-kind deposit exceed a purchase authorization limit extended to an Authorized Participant by the custodian and the Authorized Participant has not deposited an amount in excess of such purchase authorization with the custodian by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the Transmittal Date; or (g) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and Rafferty make it impractical to process purchase orders. The Trust shall notify a prospective purchaser of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of purchase transaction orders nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
Redemption of Creation Units
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor on any Business Day. The Trust will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Beneficial owners also may sell Shares in the secondary market, but must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit of Shares. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
Placement of Redemption Orders Using Enhanced Clearing Process
Orders to redeem Creation Units of each Fund through the Enhanced Clearing Process must be delivered through an Authorized Participant that is a member of NSCC that is eligible to use the Continuous Net Settlement System. A redemption order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent's automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Authorized Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day’s NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day.
Rafferty makes available through the NSCC immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange on each day that the Exchange is open for business the Portfolio Securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Redemption Securities”). These securities may, at times, not be identical to Deposit Securities which are applicable to a purchase of Creation Units.
The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit consist of either cash or Redemption Securities, as announced by Rafferty through the NSCC on any Business Day, plus the Balancing Amount. The redemption transaction fee described below is deducted from such redemption proceeds.
Placement of Redemption Orders Outside Clearing Process
Orders to redeem Creation Units of each Fund outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Authorized Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order for redemption of Creation Units of a Fund to be effected outside the Clearing Process need not be an Authorized Participant, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption of Creation Units will instead be effected through transfer of Shares directly through DTC or the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities). A redemption order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent's automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Authorized Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day's NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day. The order must be accompanied or preceded by the requisite number of Shares of a Fund specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC or the Federal Reserve System to the Custodian by the third Business Day following such Transmittal Date (“DTC Cut-Off Time”); and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement must be properly followed.
If it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Redemption Securities, the Fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash which the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities which differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in NAV.
After the Transfer Agent has deemed an order for redemption of a Fund’s shares outside the Clearing Process received, the Transfer Agent will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Redemption Securities, which are expected to be delivered within three Business Days, and the Balancing Amount minus the Transaction Fee. In addition, redemptions honored in cash, the redeeming party will receive the Cash Redemption Amount by the third Business Day following the Transmittal Date on which such redemption order is deemed received by the Transfer Agent. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the receipt of the Cash Redemption Amount may take longer than three Business Days following the
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Transmittal Date. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of local holiday periods. See below for a list of local holidays in the foreign country relevant to the international funds.
In certain instances, Authorized Participants may create and redeem Creation Unit aggregations of the same Fund on the same trade date. In this instance, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to each Fund (1) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund’s portfolio securities or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Regular Foreign Holidays
Each Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis of “T” plus three Business Days (i.e., days on which the national securities exchange is open). A Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis other than T plus three in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within three Business Days of receipt of an order in good form is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within normal settlement periods. The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring portfolio securities to redeeming Authorized Participants, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days for the international funds, in certain circumstances. The applicable holidays for certain foreign markets are listed in the table below. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.
The dates from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 in which the regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets of the below listed countries are as follows:
Australia   Austria   Belgium   Brazil   Canada   Chile   China
January 2
January 26
April 14
April 17
April 25
June 12
December 25
December 26
  January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
June 5
June 15
August 15
October 26
November 1
December 8
December 25
December 26
  April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
May 26
June 5
July 21
August 15
November 1
December 25
December 26
  January 25
February 27
February 28
March 1
April 14
April 21
May 1
June 15
September 7
October 12
November 2
November 15
November 20
December 25
December 29
  January 2
February 20
April 14
May 22
July 3
August 7
September 4
October 9
November 13
December 25
December 26
  January 2
April 14
May 1
June 26
August 15
September 18
September 19
October 9
October 27
November 1
December 8
December 25
  January 2
January 16
January 27
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
February 20
April 3
April 4
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 3
May 29
May 30
July 4
September 4
October 2
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
October 9
November 23
December 25
December 26
    
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Colombia   Czech Republic   Denmark   Egypt   Finland   France   Germany
January 9
March 20
April 13
April 14
May 1
May 29
June 19
June 26
July 3
July 20
August 7
August 21
October 16
November 6
November 13
December 8
December 25
  April 14
April 17
May 1
May 8
July 5
July 6
September 28
November 17
December 25
December 26
  April 13
April 14
April 17
May 12
May 25
May 26
June 5
December 25
December 26
  January 1
January 25
April 16
April 17
April 25
May 1
June 25
June 26
July 23
August 31
September 21
November 30
  January 6
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
June 23
December 6
December 25
December 26
  April 14
April 17
May 1
May 8
May 25
June 5
July 14
August 15
November 1
December 25
December 26
  January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
June 5
June 15
October 3
October 31
December 25
December 26
    
Greece   Hong Kong   Hungary   India   Indonesia   Ireland   Israel
January 6
February 27
April 14
April 17
May 1
June 5
August 15
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 27
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
April 3
April 4
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 29
May 30
October 2
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
December 22
December 25
December 26
  March 15
April 17
May 1
June 5
October 23
December 25
December 26
  January 26
February 24
March 13
March 28
April 4
April 14
May 1
May 10
June 26
August 15
August 17
August 25
October 2
October 19
October 20
December 1
December 25
  January 2
March 28
April 14
April 24
May 1
May 11
May 25
June 1
June 26
June 27
June 28
June 29
June 30
August 17
September 1
September 21
December 1
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 16
February 20
March 17
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 29
June 5
July 4
August 7
August 28
September 4
October 9
October 30
November 23
December 22
December 25
December 26
December 29
  March 12
April 10
April 11
April 12
April 13
April 16
April 17
May 1
May 2
May 30
May 31
August 1
September 20
September 21
September 22
September 29
October 4
October 5
October 8
October 9
October 10
October 11
October 12
    
Italy   Japan   Korea   Malaysia   Mexico   Morocco   The Netherlands
January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
June 2
August 15
December 8
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 3
January 9
March 20
May 3
May 4
May 5
July 17
August 11
September 18
October 9
November 3
November 23
  January 27
January 30
March 1
May 1
May 3
May 5
June 6
August 15
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
October 9
December 20
December 25
December 29
  January 2
January 27
January 30
February 1
February 9
May 1
May 10
June 12
June 26
June 27
August 31
September 1
September 21
October 18
December 1
December 25
  February 6
March 20
April 13
April 14
May 1
November 2
November 20
December 12
December 25
  January 11
May 1
June 26
August 14
August 21
September 1
September 22
November 6
  April 14
April 17
April 27
May 1
May 25
June 5
December 25
December 26
    
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New Zealand   Norway   Peru   The Philippines   Poland   Portugal   Russia
January 2
January 3
January 23
January 30
February 6
April 14
April 17
April 25
June 5
October 23
October 25
October 26
  April 12
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 17
May 25
June 5
December 25
December 26
  April 13
April 14
May 1
June 29
July 28
August 30
November 1
December 8
December 25
  January 2
April 13
April 14
May 1
June 12
August 21
August 28
October 31
November 1
November 30
December 25
  January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 3
June 15
August 15
November 1
December 25
December 26
December 29
  April 14
April 17
April 25
May 1
June 13
June 15
August 15
October 5
November 1
December 1
December 8
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 3
January 4
January 5
January 6
February 23
February 24
March 8
May 1
May 8
May 9
June 12
November 6
    
Singapore   South Africa   Spain   Sweden   Switzerland   Taiwan   Thailand
January 2
January 30
April 14
May 1
May 10
June 26
August 9
September 1
October 18
December 25
  January 2
March 21
April 14
April 17
April 27
May 1
June 16
August 9
September 25
December 25
December 26
  January 6
March 20
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
July 25
August 15
October 12
November 1
November 9
December 6
December 8
December 25
December 26
  January 5
January 6
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 24
May 25
June 6
June 23
November 3
December 25
December 26
  January 2
April 14
April 17
April 24
May 1
May 25
June 5
August 1
September 11
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 25
January 26
January 27
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 27
February 28
April 3
April 4
May 1
May 29
May 30
October 4
October 9
October 10
  January 2
January 3
February 13
April 6
April 13
April 14
May 1
May 5
May 10
July 10
August 14
October 23
December 5
December 11
    
Turkey   United Kingdom
May 1
May 19
June 26
June 27
August 30
August 31
September 1
September 4
  January 2
January 16
February 20
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 29
July 4
August 28
September 4
October 9
November 23
December 22
December 25
December 26
December 29
Redemption
The longest redemption cycle for the international funds is a function of the longest redemption cycles among the countries whose stocks are held by a fund.
Transaction Fees
Transaction fees are imposed as set forth in the table in the Prospectus. Transaction Fees payable to the Trust are imposed to compensate the Trust for the transfer and other transaction costs of a Fund associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units of Shares. There is a fixed and a variable component to the total Transaction Fee. A fixed Transaction Fee is applicable to each creation or redemption transaction, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased or redeemed. In addition, a variable Transaction Fee based upon the value of each Creation Unit also is applicable to each redemption transaction. The Transaction Fee applicable to the redemption of Creation Units will not exceed 2% of the value of the redemption proceeds.
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Purchasers of Creation Units of a Fund for cash are required to pay an additional charge to compensate the relevant Fund for brokerage and market impact expenses relating to investing in portfolios securities. Where the Trust permits an in-kind purchaser to substitute cash in lieu of depositing a portion of the Deposit Securities, the purchaser will be assessed an additional charge for cash purchases.
Purchasers of Shares in Creation Units are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust. The purchase transaction fees for in-kind purchases and cash purchases (when available) are listed in the table below. Investors will also bear the costs of transferring securities from the Fund to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. In addition, Rafferty may, from time to time, at its own expense, compensate purchasers of Creation Units who have purchased substantial amounts of Creation Units and other financial institutions for administrative or marketing services.
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units of Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of Shares are issued and sold by the Trust on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act. For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares, and sells some or all of the Shares comprising such Creation Units directly to its customers; or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether a person is an underwriter for the purposes of the Securities Act depends upon all the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities. Thus, the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter. Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary market transaction), and thus dealing with Shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by section 4(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to Shares are reminded that under Securities Act Rule 153 a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to a national securities exchange member in connection with a sale on the national securities exchange is satisfied by the fact that the Fund’s prospectus is available at the national securities exchange on which the Shares of such Fund trade upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange and not with respect to “upstairs” transactions.
Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes
Dividends and other Distributions
As stated in the Prospectus, each Fund declares and distributes dividends to its shareholders from its net investment income at least annually; for these purposes, net investment income includes dividends, accrued interest, and accretion of OID and market discount, less amortization of market premium and estimated expenses, and is calculated immediately prior to the determination of a Fund’s NAV per share. Each Fund also distributes the excess of its net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss (“short-term gain”), if any, annually but may make more frequent distributions thereof if necessary to avoid federal income or excise taxes. Each Fund may realize net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) and thus anticipates making annual distributions thereof. The Trustees may revise this distribution policy, or postpone the payment of distributions, if a Fund has or anticipates any large unexpected expense, loss or fluctuation in net assets that, in the Trustees’ opinion, might have a significant adverse effect on its shareholders.
Investors should be aware that if shares are purchased shortly before the record date for any dividend or capital gain distribution, the shareholder will pay full price for the shares and receive some portion of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution (with the tax consequences described in the Prospectus).
Taxes
Regulated Investment Company Status. Each Fund is treated as a separate entity for federal tax purposes and intends to qualify for treatment as a RIC. If a Fund so qualifies and satisfies the Distribution Requirement (defined below) for a taxable year, it will not be subject to federal income tax on the part of its investment company taxable income (generally consisting
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of net investment income, short-term gain, and net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions, all determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain it distributes to its shareholders for that year.
To qualify for treatment as a RIC, a Fund must distribute to its shareholders for each taxable year at least the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (“Distribution Requirement”) and 90% of its net exempt interest income and must meet several additional requirements. For each Fund, these requirements include the following: (1) the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income each taxable year from the following sources (collectively, “Qualifying Income”): (a) dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gains from options, futures, or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in securities or those currencies, and (b) net income from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (“QPTP”) (“Income Requirement”); and (2) at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the value of its total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with those other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount that does not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and that does not represent more than 10% of the issuer’s outstanding voting securities (equity securities of QPTPs being considered voting securities for these purposes), and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets may be invested in (i) securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, (ii) securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers the Fund controls that are determined to be engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or (iii) securities of one or more QPTPs (collectively, “Diversification Requirements”). The Internal Revenue Service (“Service”) has ruled that income from a derivative contract on a commodity index generally is not Qualifying Income.
Although each Fund intends to satisfy all the foregoing requirements, there is no assurance that a Fund will be able to do so. The investment by a Fund primarily in options and futures positions entails some risk that it might fail to satisfy one or both of the Diversification Requirements. There is some uncertainty regarding the valuation of such positions for purposes of those requirements; accordingly, it is possible that the method of valuation a Fund uses, pursuant to which each of them would expect to be treated as satisfying the Diversification Requirements, would not be accepted in an audit by the Service, which might apply a different method resulting in disqualification of one or more funds.
If a Fund failed to qualify for treatment as a RIC for any taxable year, (1) its taxable income, including net capital gain, would be taxed at corporate income tax rates (up to 35%), (2) it would not receive a deduction for the distributions it makes to its shareholders, and (3) the shareholders would treat all those distributions, including distributions of net capital gain, as dividends (that is, ordinary income, except for the part of those dividends that is “qualified dividend income” (described in the Prospectus) (“QDI”)) if certain holding period and other requirements are met) to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits; those dividends would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction available to corporations under certain circumstances. In addition, the Fund would be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions before requalifying for RIC treatment. However, the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010 (“RIC Mod Act”) provides certain savings provisions that enable a RIC to cure a failure to satisfy any of the Income and Diversification Requirements as long as the failure “is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect” and the RIC pays a deductible tax calculated in accordance with those provisions and meets certain other requirements.
Excise Tax. Each Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax (“Excise Tax”) to the extent it fails to distribute by the end of any calendar year substantially all of its ordinary income for that year and capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of that year, plus certain other amounts.
Income from Foreign Securities. Dividends and interest a Fund receives, and gains it realizes, on foreign securities may be subject to income, withholding, or other taxes imposed by foreign countries and U.S. possessions that would reduce the yield and/or total return on its securities. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate these taxes, however, and many foreign countries do not impose taxes on capital gains in respect of investments by foreign investors.
Gains or losses (1) from the disposition of foreign currencies, including forward currency contracts, (2) on the disposition of each foreign-currency-denominated debt security that are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the dates of acquisition and disposition of the security, and (3) that are attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates that occur between the time a Fund accrues dividends, interest, or other receivables, or expenses or other liabilities, denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects the receivables or pays the liabilities, generally will be treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses will increase or decrease the amount of a Fund’s investment company taxable income to be distributed to its shareholders.
Each Fund may invest in the stock of “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”). A PFIC is any foreign corporation (with certain exceptions) that, in general, meets either of the following tests for a taxable year: (1) at least 75% of its gross income is passive or (2) an average of at least 50% of its assets produce, or are held for the production of, passive income. Under certain circumstances, a Fund will be subject to federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” it receives on the stock of a PFIC or of any gain on its disposition of the stock (collectively, “PFIC income”), plus interest thereon, even if the Fund distributes the PFIC income as a dividend to its shareholders. The balance of the PFIC income will be included
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in the Fund’s investment company taxable income and, accordingly, will not be taxable to it to the extent it distributes that income to its shareholders. Fund distributions thereof will not be eligible for the maximum federal income tax rates applicable to QDI.
If a Fund invests in a PFIC and elects to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” (“QEF”), then, in lieu of the foregoing tax and interest obligation, the Fund would be required to include in income each taxable year its pro rata share of the QEF’s annual ordinary earnings and net capital gain -- which the Fund probably would have to distribute to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and avoid imposition of the Excise Tax -- even if the Fund did not receive those earnings and gain from the QEF. In most instances it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to make this election because of certain requirements thereof.
Each Fund may elect to “mark to market” its stock in any PFIC. “Marking-to-market,” in this context, means including in gross income each taxable year (and treating as ordinary income) the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the PFIC’s stock over a Fund’s adjusted basis therein as of the end of that year. Pursuant to the election, a Fund also would be allowed to deduct (as an ordinary, not a capital, loss) the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis in PFIC stock over the fair market value thereof as of the taxable year-end, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains with respect to that stock the Fund included in income for prior taxable years under the election. A Fund’s adjusted basis in each PFIC’s stock with respect to which it makes this election would be adjusted to reflect the amounts of income included and deductions taken thereunder.
Derivatives Strategies. The use of derivatives strategies, such as writing (selling) and purchasing options and futures contracts and entering into forward contracts, involves complex rules that will determine for income tax purposes the amount, character, and timing of recognition of the gains and losses a Fund realizes in connection therewith. Gains from the disposition of foreign currencies (except certain gains therefrom that may be excluded by future regulations), and gains from options, futures, and forward contracts a Fund derives with respect to its business of investing in securities or foreign currencies, will be treated as Qualifying Income. Each Fund will monitor its transactions, make appropriate tax elections, and make appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any foreign currency, option, futures contract, forward contract, or hedged investment to mitigate the effect of these rules, seek to prevent its disqualification as a RIC, and minimize the imposition of federal income and excise taxes.
Some futures contracts, foreign currency contracts that are traded in the interbank market, and “nonequity” options (i.e., certain listed options, such as those on a “broad-based” securities index)except any “securities futures contract” that is not a “dealer securities futures contract” (both as defined in the Code) and any interest rate swap, currency swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap, or similar agreementin which a Fund invests may be subject to Code section 1256 (collectively “section 1256 contracts”). Section 1256 contracts that a Fund holds at the end of its taxable year must be “marked to market” (that is, treated as having been sold at that time for their fair market value) for federal income tax purposes, with the result that unrealized gains or losses will be treated as though they were realized. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss recognized on these deemed sales, and 60% of any net realized gain or loss from any actual sales of section 1256 contracts, will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and the balance will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. These rules may operate to increase the amount that a Fund must distribute to satisfy the Distribution Requirement (i.e., with respect to the portion treated as short-term capital gain), which will be taxable to its shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them, and to increase the net capital gain a Fund recognizes, without in either case increasing the cash available to it. A Fund may elect not to have the foregoing rules apply to any “mixed straddle” (that is, a straddle, which the Fund clearly identifies in accordance with applicable regulations, at least one (but not all) of the positions of which are section 1256 contracts), although doing so may have the effect of increasing the relative proportion of short-term capital gain (taxable as ordinary income) and thus increasing the amount of dividends it must distribute. Section 1256 contracts also may be marked-to-market for purposes of the Excise Tax.
Code section 1092 (dealing with straddles) also may affect the taxation of options, futures, and forward contracts in which a Fund may invest. That section defines a “straddle” as offsetting positions with respect to actively traded personal property; for these purposes, options, futures, and forward contracts are positions in personal property. Under that section, any loss from the disposition of a position in a straddle may be deducted only to the extent the loss exceeds the unrealized gain on the offsetting position(s) of the straddle. In addition, these rules may postpone the recognition of loss that otherwise would be recognized under the mark-to-market rules discussed above. The regulations under section 1092 also provide certain “wash sale” rules, which apply to transactions where a position is sold at a loss and a new offsetting position is acquired within a prescribed period, and “short sale” rules applicable to straddles. If a Fund makes certain elections, the amount, character, and timing of recognition of gains and losses from the affected straddle positions would be determined under rules that vary according to the elections made. Because only a few of the regulations implementing the straddle rules have been promulgated, the tax consequences to a Fund of straddle transactions are not entirely clear.
If a call option written by a Fund lapses (i.e., terminates without being exercised), the amount of the premium it received for the option will be short-term capital gain. If a Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction with respect to a written call option, it will have a short-term capital gain or loss based on the difference between the premium it received for the option it wrote and the premium it pays for the option it buys. If such an option is exercised and a Fund thus sells the securities or futures contract subject to the option, the premium the Fund received will be added to the exercise price to
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determine the gain or loss on the sale. If a call option purchased by a Fund lapses, it will realize short-term or long-term capital loss, depending on its holding period for the option. If a Fund exercises a purchased call option, the premium it paid for the option will be added to the basis in the subject securities or futures contract.
If a Fund has an “appreciated financial position” - generally, an interest (including an interest through an option, futures, or forward contract or short sale) with respect to any stock, debt instrument (other than “straight debt”), or partnership interest the fair market value of which exceeds its adjusted basis - and enters into a “constructive sale” of the position, the Fund will be treated as having made an actual sale thereof, with the result that it will recognize gain at that time. A constructive sale generally consists of a short sale, an offsetting notional principal contract, or a futures or forward contract a Fund or a related person enters into with respect to the same or substantially identical property. In addition, if the appreciated financial position is itself a short sale or such a contract, acquisition of the underlying property or substantially identical property will be deemed a constructive sale. The foregoing will not apply, however, to a Fund’s transaction during any taxable year that otherwise would be treated as a constructive sale if the transaction is closed within 30 days after the end of that year and the Fund holds the appreciated financial position unhedged for 60 days after that closing (i.e., at no time during that 60-day period is the Fund’s risk of loss regarding that position reduced by reason of certain specified transactions with respect to substantially identical or related property, such as having an option to sell, being contractually obligated to sell, making a short sale, or granting an option to buy substantially identical stock or securities).
Income from Zero-Coupon and Payment-in-Kind Securities. A Fund may acquire zero-coupon or other securities (such as strips) issued with OID. As a holder of those securities, a Fund must include in its gross income the OID that accrues on the securities during the taxable year, even if it receives no corresponding payment on them during the year. Similarly, a Fund must include in its gross income securities it receives as “interest” on payment-in-kind securities. With respect to “market discount bonds” (i.e., bonds purchased at a price less than their issue price plus the portion of OID previously accrued thereon), a Fund may elect to accrue and include in income each taxable year a portion of the bonds’ market discount. Because each Fund annually must distribute substantially all of its investment company taxable income, including any accrued OID and other non-cash income, to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and avoid imposition of the Excise Tax, a Fund may be required in a particular year to distribute as a dividend an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash it actually receives. Those distributions will be made from a Fund’s cash assets or from the proceeds of sales of portfolio securities, if necessary. A Fund may realize capital gains or losses from those sales, which would increase or decrease its investment company taxable income and/or net capital gain.
Income from REITs. A Fund may invest in REITs that (1) hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) or (2) engage in mortgage securitization transactions that cause the REITs to be taxable mortgage pools (“TMPs”) or have a qualified REIT subsidiary that is a TMP. A portion of the net income allocable to REMIC residual interest holders may be an “excess inclusion.” The Code authorizes the issuance of regulations dealing with the taxation and reporting of excess inclusion income of REITs and RICs that hold residual REMIC interests and of REITs, or qualified REIT subsidiaries that are TMPs. Although those regulations have not yet been issued, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Service issued a notice in 2006 (“Notice”) announcing that, pending the issuance of further guidance, the Service would apply the principles in the following paragraphs to all excess inclusion income, whether from REMIC residual interests or TMPs.
The Notice provides that a REIT must (1) determine whether it or its qualified REIT subsidiary (or a part of either) is a TMP and, if so, calculate the TMP’s excess inclusion income under a “reasonable method,” (2) allocate its excess inclusion income to its shareholders generally in proportion to dividends paid, (3) inform shareholders that are not “disqualified organizations” (i.e., governmental units and tax-exempt entities that are not subject to the unrelated business income tax) of the amount and character of the excess inclusion income allocated thereto, (4) pay tax (at the highest federal income tax rate imposed on corporations) on the excess inclusion income allocable to its shareholders that are disqualified organizations, and (5) apply the withholding tax provisions with respect to the excess inclusion part of dividends paid to foreign persons without regard to any treaty exception or reduction in tax rate. Excess inclusion income allocated to certain tax-exempt entities (including qualified retirement plans, individual retirement accounts, and public charities) constitutes unrelated business taxable income to them.
A RIC with excess inclusion income is subject to rules identical to those in clauses (2) through (5) (substituting “who are nominees” for “that are not ‘disqualified organizations’” in clause (3) and inserting “record” after “its” in clause (4)). The Notice further provides that a RIC is not required to report the amount and character of the excess inclusion income allocated to its shareholders that are not nominees, except that (1) a RIC with excess inclusion income from all sources that exceeds 1% of its gross income must do so and (2) any other RIC must do so by taking into account only excess inclusion income allocated to the RIC from a REIT the excess inclusion income of which exceeded 3% of the REIT’s dividends. A Fund will not invest directly in REMIC residual interests, and does not intend to invest in REITs that, to its knowledge, invest in those interests or are TMPs or have a qualified REIT subsidiary that is a TMP.
Taxation of Shareholders.
Basis Election and Reporting. A shareholder’s basis in Shares of a Fund that he or she acquires after December 31, 2011 (“Covered Shares”), will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s default method, which is average basis, unless the shareholder affirmatively elects in writing (which may be electronic) to use a different acceptable basis determination method,
53

 

such as a specific identification method. The basis determination method a Fund shareholder elects (or the default method) may not be changed with respect to a redemption of Covered Shares after the settlement date of the redemption.
In addition to the requirement to report the gross proceeds from redemptions of shares, each Fund (or its administrative agent) must report to the Service and furnish to its shareholders the basis information for Covered Shares and indicate whether they had a short-term (one year or less) or long-term (more than one year) holding period. Fund shareholders should consult with their tax advisers to decide the best Service-accepted basis determination method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about how the basis reporting law applies to them.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). As mentioned in the Prospectus, under FATCA “foreign financial institutions” (“FFIs”) or “non-financial foreign entities” (“NFFEs”) that are Fund shareholders may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on (1) income dividends, and (2) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds of a redemption of Shares a Fund pays after December 31, 2018. That withholding tax generally can be avoided, however, as discussed below.
An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding by becoming a “participating FFI,” which requires the FFI to enter into a tax compliance agreement with the Service. Under such an agreement, a participating FFI agrees to (1) verify and document whether it has U.S. accountholders, (2) report certain information regarding their accounts to the Service, and (3) meet certain other specified requirements.
The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (“IGAs”) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA; entities in those countries may be required to comply with the terms of the IGA instead of Treasury regulations. An FFI resident in a country that has entered into a Model I IGA with the United States must report to that country’s government (pursuant to the terms of the applicable IGA and applicable law), which will, in turn, report to the Service. An FFI resident in a Model II IGA country generally must comply with U.S. regulatory requirements, with certain exceptions, including the treatment of recalcitrant accountholders. An FFI resident in one of those countries that complies with whichever of the foregoing applies will be exempt from FATCA withholding.
An NFFE that is the beneficial owner of a payment from a Fund can avoid FATCA withholding generally by certifying its status as such and, in certain circumstances that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or by providing the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each such owner. The NFFE will report to the Fund or other applicable withholding agent, which will, in turn, report information to the Service.
Those non-U.S. shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted, or deemed compliant categories established by Treasury regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in a Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entity’s status under FATCA to avoid FATCA withholding. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the tax certification rules to avoid backup withholding described above. Foreign investors are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation and the impact thereof on their investment in a Fund.
* * * * *
The foregoing is only a general summary of some of the important federal tax considerations generally affecting the Funds. No attempt is made to present a complete explanation of the federal tax treatment of the Funds' activities, and this discussion is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Accordingly, potential investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers for more detailed information and for information regarding any state, local, or foreign taxes applicable to a Fund and to distributions therefrom.
For federal income tax purposes, a Fund is generally permitted to carry forward a net capital loss in any year to offset net capital gains, if any, during its taxable years following the year of the loss. The carryforward of capital losses realized in taxable years beginning prior to December 23, 2010, however, is limited to an eight-year period following the year of realization. Thereafter, capital losses carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses rather than being considered all short-term as under previous law. A Fund must use losses that do not expire before it uses losses that do expire and a Fund’s ability to utilize capital losses in a given year or in total may be limited. To the extent subsequent net capital gains are offset by such losses, they would not result in federal income tax liability to a Fund and as noted above, would not be distributed as such to shareholders.
Capital Loss Carryforwards. Pursuant to the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, capital losses sustained in future taxable years will not expire and may be carried over without limitation.
Financial Statements
Because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, no financial statements are available for the Funds.
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APPENDIX A
Description of Corporate Bond Ratings
Moody’s Investors Service and Standard and Poor’s are two prominent independent rating agencies that rate the quality of bonds. Following are expanded explanations of the ratings shown in the Prospectus and this SAI.
Moody’s Investors Service Global Long-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody’s global long-term rating scale are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default. Such ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.
Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.
Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.
B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest
Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*
* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.
Moody’s Investors Service National Scale Long-Term Ratings
Moody’ s long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody’s assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).
Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers
B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
A-1

 

Standard and Poor’s Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings*
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on Standard & Poor's analysis of the following considerations: likelihood of paymentcapacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; nature of and provisions of the obligation and the promise we impute; and protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.
Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB: An obligation rated 'BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
BB; B; CCC; CC; and C: Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated 'BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The 'CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but Standard & Poor's expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
C: An obligation rated 'C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.
D: An obligation rated 'D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to 'D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor's does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
*The ratings from 'AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
Moody’s Investors Service Short Term Obligation Ratings
The Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) scale is used to rate US municipal bond anticipation notes of up to three years maturity. Municipal notes rated on the MIG scale may be secured by either pledged revenues or proceeds of a take-out financing received prior to note maturity. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation, and the issuer’s long-term rating is only one consideration in assigning the MIG rating. MIG ratings are divided into three levelsMIG 1 through MIG 3while speculative grade short-term obligations are designated SG.
MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
A-2

 

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
Standard and Poor’s Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings
A Standard & Poor's U.S. municipal note rating reflects Standard & Poor's opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, Standard & Poor's analysis will review the following considerations:Amortization schedulethe larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; andSource of paymentthe more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.
SP-1: Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
SP-2: Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3: Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Moody’s Investors Service Global Short Term Rating Scale
Ratings assigned on Moody’s global short-term rating scale are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default.
P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Standard and Poor’s Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
D: A short-term obligation rated 'D' is in payment default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example, due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D” if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Standard & Poor's assigns "dual" ratings to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature as part of their structure. The first rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second rating addresses only the demand feature. The long-term rating symbols are used for bonds to denote the long-term maturity and the
A-3

 

short-term rating symbols for the put option (for example, 'AAA/A-1+'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, note rating symbols are used with the short-term issue credit rating symbols (for example, 'SP-1+/A-1+').
A-4

 

APPENDIX B
Direxion Shares ETF Trust
Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
Recognizing the increased scrutiny that both institutions and corporations are under, it is important to have corporate governance that appreciates the importance of consistently applied policy guidelines that are aligned with investors’ views on key issues. With this in mind we currently use ISS’s proxy voting service to execute ballots on behalf of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust (collectively, the “Trust”). ISS prepares custom research and votes per their recommendation. If we agree with their recommendation, no action is required. However, we retain the right and ability to override the vote if you disagree with ISS’s vote recommendation.
I. Duty to Vote Proxies
Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty”) views seriously its responsibility to exercise voting authority over securities that are owned by the Trust.
To document that proxies are being voted, ISS (on behalf of the Trust) will maintain a record reflecting when and how each proxy is voted consistent with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 and other applicable regulations. Rafferty will make its proxy voting history and policies and procedures available to shareholders upon request.
II. Guidelines for Voting Proxies
Rafferty generally follows the recommendations of ISS’s proxy voting guidelines as outlined below. Proxy proposals are considered on their own merits and a determination is made as to support or oppose management’s recommendation. Rafferty will typically accept ISS’s recommendations on social issues as it does not have the means to evaluate the economic impact of such proposals, or determine a consensus among shareholders’ social or political viewpoints.
III. Review and Compliance
It is Rafferty’s responsibility to oversee ISS’s proxy voting to ensure compliance and timely reporting to US Bank. Reports are verified monthly through ISS’s Votex website. ISS provides US Bank with the NP-X file covering the period from July 1st through June 30th of the following year. US Bank files the NP-X with the SEC on the Trust’s behalf. These records are maintained for five years and the previous two years proxy voting records can be accessed by contacting US Bank.
Below is a summary outlining ISS’s US Proxy Voting Guidelines.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Voting on Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections
General Recommendation: Generally vote for director nominees, except under the following circumstances:
1. Accountability
Vote against(1) or withhold from the entire board of directors (except new nominees(2), who should be considered case- by-case) for the following:
Problematic Takeover Defenses
Classified Board Structure:
1.1. The board is classified, and a continuing director responsible for a problematic governance issue at the board/committee level that would warrant a withhold/against vote recommendation is not up for election. All appropriate nominees (except new) may be held accountable.
(1) In general, companies with a plurality vote standard use “Withhold” as the contrary vote option in director elections; companies with a majority vote standard use “Against”. However, it will vary by company and the proxy must be checked to determine the valid contrary vote option for the particular company.
(2) A “new nominee” is any current nominee who has not already been elected by shareholders and who joined the board after the problematic action in question transpired. If ISS cannot determine whether the nominee joined the board before or after the problematic action transpired, the nominee will be considered a “new nominee” if he or she joined the board within the 12 months prior to the upcoming shareholder meeting.
B-1

 

Director Performance Evaluation:
1.2. The board lacks accountability and oversight, coupled with sustained poor performance relative to peers. Sustained poor performance is measured by one- and three-year total shareholder returns in the bottom half of a company’s four-digit GICS industry group (Russell 3000 companies only). Take into consideration the company’s five-year total shareholder return and operational metrics. Problematic provisions include but are not limited to:
A classified board structure;
A supermajority vote requirement;
Either a plurality vote standard in uncontested director elections or a majority vote standard with no plurality carve-out for contested elections;
The inability of shareholders to call special meetings;
The inability of shareholders to act by written consent;
A dual-class capital structure; and/or
A nonshareholder-approved poison pill.
Poison Pills:
1.3. The company’s poison pill has a “dead-hand” or “modified dead-hand” feature. Vote against or withhold from nominees every year until this feature is removed;
1.4. The board adopts a poison pill with a term of more than 12 months (“long-term pill”), or renews any existing pill, including any “short-term” pill (12 months or less), without shareholder approval. A commitment or policy that puts a newly adopted pill to a binding shareholder vote may potentially offset an adverse vote recommendation. Review such companies with classified boards every year, and such companies with annually elected boards at least once every three years, and vote against or withhold votes from all nominees if the company still maintains a non-shareholder-approved poison pill; or
1.5. The board makes a material adverse change to an existing poison pill without shareholder approval. Vote case-by-case on all nominees if:
1.6. The board adopts a poison pill with a term of 12 months or less (“short-term pill”) without shareholder approval, taking into account the following factors:
The date of the pill‘s adoption relative to the date of the next meeting of shareholdersi.e. whether the company had time to put the pill on the ballot for shareholder ratification given the circumstances;
The issuer’s rationale;
The issuer’s governance structure and practices; and
The issuer’s track record of accountability to shareholders.
Problematic Audit-Related Practices
Generally vote against or withhold from the members of the Audit Committee if:
1.7. The non-audit fees paid to the auditor are excessive (see discussion under “Auditor Ratification”);
1.8. The company receives an adverse opinion on the company’s financial statements from its auditor; or
1.9. There is persuasive evidence that the Audit Committee entered into an inappropriate indemnification agreement with its auditor that limits the ability of the company, or its shareholders, to pursue legitimate legal recourse against the audit firm.
Vote case-by-case on members of the Audit Committee and potentially the full board if:
1.10. Poor accounting practices are identified that rise to a level of serious concern, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; and material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures. Examine the severity, breadth, chronological sequence, and duration, as well as the company’s efforts at remediation or corrective actions, in determining whether withhold/against votes are warranted.
Problematic Compensation Practices/Pay for Performance Misalignment
In the absence of an Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation ballot item or in egregious situations, vote against or withhold from the members of the Compensation Committee and potentially the full board if:
1.11. There is a significant misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance);
1.12. The company maintains significant problematic pay practices;
1.13. The board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders;
1.14. The company fails to submit one-time transfers of stock options to a shareholder vote; or
1.15. The company fails to fulfill the terms of a burn rate commitment made to shareholders.
B-2

 

Vote case-by-case on Compensation Committee members (or, in exceptional cases, the full board) and the Management Say-on-Pay proposal if:
1.16. The company’s previous say-on-pay received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast, taking into account:
The company's response, including:
Disclosure of engagement efforts with major institutional investors regarding the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Specific actions taken to address the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Other recent compensation actions taken by the company;
Whether the issues raised are recurring or isolated;
The company's ownership structure; and
Whether the support level was less than 50 percent, which would warrant the highest degree of responsiveness.
Unilateral Bylaw/Charter Amendments
1.17. Generally vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by-case) if the board amends the company's bylaws or charter without shareholder approval in a manner that materially diminishes shareholders' rights or that could adversely impact shareholders, considering the following factors:
The board's rationale for adopting the bylaw/charter amendment without shareholder ratification;
Disclosure by the company of any significant engagement with shareholders regarding the amendment;
The level of impairment of shareholders' rights caused by the board's unilateral amendment to the bylaws/charter;
The board's track record with regard to unilateral board action on bylaw/charter amendments or other entrenchment provisions;
The company's ownership structure;
The company's existing governance provisions;
The timing of the board's amendment to the bylaws/charter in connection with a significant business development; and,
Other factors, as deemed appropriate, that may be relevant to determine the impact of the amendment on shareholders.
Unless the adverse amendment is reversed or submitted to a binding shareholder vote, in subsequent years vote case- by-case on director nominees. Generally vote against (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by-case) if the directors:
Classified the board;
Adopted supermajority vote requirements to amend the bylaws or charter; or
Eliminated shareholders' ability to amend bylaws.
1.18. For newly public companies, generally vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by-case) if, prior to or in connection with the company's public offering, the company or its board adopted bylaw or charter provisions materially adverse to shareholder rights, considering the following factors:
The level of impairment of shareholders' rights caused by the provision;
The disclosed rationale for adopting the provision;
The ability to change the governance structure in the future (e.g., limitations on shareholders’ right to amend the bylaws or charter, or supermajority vote requirements to amend the bylaws or charter);
The ability of shareholders to hold directors accountable through annual director elections, or whether the company has a classified board structure; and,
A public commitment to put the provision to a shareholder vote within three years of the date of the initial public offering.
Unless the adverse provision is reversed or submitted to a vote of public shareholders, vote case-by-case on director nominees in subsequent years.
B-3

 

Governance Failures
Under extraordinary circumstances, vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board, due to:
1.19. Material failures of governance, stewardship, risk oversight(3), or fiduciary responsibilities at the company;
1.20. Failure to replace management as appropriate; or
1.21. Egregious actions related to a director’s service on other boards that raise substantial doubt about his or her ability to effectively oversee management and serve the best interests of shareholders at any company.
2. Responsiveness
Vote case-by-case on individual directors, committee members, or the entire board of directors as appropriate if:
2.1. The board failed to act on a shareholder proposal that received the support of a majority of the shares cast in the previous year. Factors that will be considered are:
Disclosed outreach efforts by the board to shareholders in the wake of the vote;
Rationale provided in the proxy statement for the level of implementation;
The subject matter of the proposal;
The level of support for and opposition to the resolution in past meetings;
Actions taken by the board in response to the majority vote and its engagement with shareholders;
The continuation of the underlying issue as a voting item on the ballot (as either shareholder or management proposals); and
Other factors as appropriate.
2.2. The board failed to act on takeover offers where the majority of shares are tendered;
2.3. At the previous board election, any director received more than 50 percent withhold/against votes of the shares cast and the company has failed to address the issue(s) that caused the high withhold/against vote;
2.4. The board implements an advisory vote on executive compensation on a less frequent basis than the frequency that received the majority of votes cast at the most recent shareholder meeting at which shareholders voted on the say-on-pay frequency; or
2.5. The board implements an advisory vote on executive compensation on a less frequent basis than the frequency that received a plurality, but not a majority, of the votes cast at the most recent shareholder meeting at which shareholders voted on the say-on-pay frequency, taking into account:
The board's rationale for selecting a frequency that is different from the frequency that received a plurality;
The company's ownership structure and vote results;
ISS' analysis of whether there are compensation concerns or a history of problematic compensation practices; and
The previous year's support level on the company's say-on-pay proposal.
3. Composition
Attendance at Board and Committee Meetings:
3.1. Generally vote against or withhold from directors (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by- case(4)) who attend less than 75 percent of the aggregate of their board and committee meetings for the period for which they served, unless an acceptable reason for absences is disclosed in the proxy or another SEC filing. Acceptable reasons for director absences are generally limited to the following:
Medical issues/illness;
Family emergencies; and
Missing only one meeting (when the total of all meetings is three or fewer).
3.2. If the proxy disclosure is unclear and insufficient to determine whether a director attended at least 75 percent of the aggregate of his/her board and committee meetings during his/her period of service, vote against or withhold from the director(s) in question.
(3) Examples of failure of risk oversight include, but are not limited to: bribery; large or serial fines or sanctions from regulatory bodies; significant adverse legal judgments or settlements; hedging of company stock; or significant pledging of company stock.
(4) For new nominees only, schedule conflicts due to commitments made prior to their appointment to the board are considered if disclosed in the proxy or another SEC filing.
B-4

 

Overboarded Directors:
Vote against or withhold from individual directors who:
3.3. Sit on more than six public company boards; with respect to annual meetings on or after Feb. 1, 2017(5), sit on more than five public company boards; or
3.4. Are CEOs of public companies who sit on the boards of more than two public companies besides their own — withhold only at their outside boards(6).
4. Independence
Vote against or withhold from Inside Directors and Affiliated Outside Directors (per the Categorization of Directors) when:
4.1. The inside or affiliated outside director serves on any of the three key committees: audit, compensation, or nominating;
4.2. The company lacks an audit, compensation, or nominating committee so that the full board functions as that committee;
4.3. The company lacks a formal nominating committee, even if the board attests that the independent directors fulfill the functions of such a committee; or
4.4. Independent directors make up less than a majority of the directors.
Independent Chair (Separate Chair/CEO)
General Recommendation: Generally vote for shareholder proposals requiring that the chairman’s position be filled by an independent director, taking into consideration the following:
The scope of the proposal;
The company's current board leadership structure;
The company's governance structure and practices;
Company performance; and
Any other relevant factors that may be applicable.
Regarding the scope of the proposal, consider whether the proposal is precatory or binding and whether the proposal is seeking an immediate change in the chairman role or the policy can be implemented at the next CEO transition.
Under the review of the company's board leadership structure, ISS may support the proposal under the following scenarios absent a compelling rationale: the presence of an executive or non-independent chair in addition to the CEO; a recent recombination of the role of CEO and chair; and/or departure from a structure with an independent chair. ISS will also consider any recent transitions in board leadership and the effect such transitions may have on independent board leadership as well as the designation of a lead director role.
When considering the governance structure, ISS will consider the overall independence of the board, the independence of key committees, the establishment of governance guidelines, board tenure and its relationship to CEO tenure, and any other factors that may be relevant. Any concerns about a company's governance structure will weigh in favor of support for the proposal.
The review of the company's governance practices may include, but is not limited to poor compensation practices, material failures of governance and risk oversight, related-party transactions or other issues putting director independence at risk, corporate or management scandals, and actions by management or the board with potential or realized negative impact on shareholders. Any such practices may suggest a need for more independent oversight at the company thus warranting support of the proposal.
ISS' performance assessment will generally consider one-, three, and five-year TSR compared to the company's peers and the market as a whole. While poor performance will weigh in favor of the adoption of an independent chair policy, strong performance over the long-term will be considered a mitigating factor when determining whether the proposed leadership change warrants support.
(5) This policy change includes a 1-year transition period to allow time for affected directors to address necessary changes if they wish.
(6) Although all of a CEO’s subsidiary boards will be counted as separate boards, ISS will not recommend a withhold vote from the CEO of a parent company board or any of the controlled (>50 percent ownership) subsidiaries of that parent, but may do so at subsidiaries that are less than 50 percent controlled and boards outside the parent/subsidiary relationships.
B-5

 

Proxy Access
General Recommendation: Generally vote for management and shareholder proposals for proxy access with the following provisions:
Ownership threshold: maximum requirement not more than three percent (3%) of the voting power;
Ownership duration: maximum requirement not longer than three (3) years of continuous ownership for each member of the nominating group;
Aggregation: minimal or no limits on the number of shareholders permitted to form a nominating group;
Cap: cap on nominees of generally twenty-five percent (25%) of the board.
Review for reasonableness any other restrictions on the right of proxy access.
Generally vote against proposals that are more restrictive than these guidelines.
Proxy Contests/Proxy Access Voting for Director Nominees in Contested Elections
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on the election of directors in contested elections, considering the following factors:
Long-term financial performance of the company relative to its industry;
Management’s track record;
Background to the contested election;
Nominee qualifications and any compensatory arrangements;
Strategic plan of dissident slate and quality of the critique against management;
Likelihood that the proposed goals and objectives can be achieved (both slates); and
Stock ownership positions.
In the case of candidates nominated pursuant to proxy access, vote case-by-case considering any applicable factors listed above or additional factors which may be relevant, including those that are specific to the company, to the nominee(s) and/or to the nature of the election (such as whether or not there are more candidates than board seats).
CAPITAL/RESTRUCTURING
Common Stock Authorization
General Recommendation: Vote for proposals to increase the number of authorized common shares where the primary purpose of the increase is to issue shares in connection with a transaction on the same ballot that warrants support.
Vote against proposals at companies with more than one class of common stock to increase the number of authorized shares of the class of common stock that has superior voting rights.
Vote against proposals to increase the number of authorized common shares if a vote for a reverse stock split on the same ballot is warranted despite the fact that the authorized shares would not be reduced proportionally.
Vote case-by-case on all other proposals to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance. Take into account company-specific factors that include, at a minimum, the following:
Past Board Performance:
The company's use of authorized shares during the last three years
The Current Request:
Disclosure in the proxy statement of the specific purposes of the proposed increase;
Disclosure in the proxy statement of specific and severe risks to shareholders of not approving the request; and
The dilutive impact of the request as determined relative to an allowable increase calculated by ISS (typically 100 percent of existing authorized shares) that reflects the company's need for shares and total shareholder returns.
ISS will apply the relevant allowable increase below to requests to increase common stock that are for general corporate purposes (or to the general corporate purposes portion of a request that also includes a specific need):
A. Most companies: 100 percent of existing authorized shares.
B. Companies with less than 50 percent of existing authorized shares either outstanding or reserved for issuance: 50 percent of existing authorized shares.
C. Companies with one- and three-year total shareholder returns (TSRs) in the bottom 10 percent of the U.S. market as of the end of the calendar quarter that is closest to their most recent fiscal year end: 50 percent of existing authorized shares.
D. Companies at which both conditions (B and C) above are both present: 25 percent of existing authorized shares.
B-6

 

If there is an acquisition, private placement, or similar transaction on the ballot (not including equity incentive plans) that ISS is recommending FOR, the allowable increase will be the greater of (i) twice the amount needed to support the transactions on the ballot, and (ii) the allowable increase as calculated above.
Mergers and Acquisitions
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on mergers and acquisitions. Review and evaluate the merits and drawbacks of the proposed transaction, balancing various and sometimes countervailing factors including:
Valuation - Is the value to be received by the target shareholders (or paid by the acquirer) reasonable? While the fairness opinion may provide an initial starting point for assessing valuation reasonableness, emphasis is placed on the offer premium, market reaction and strategic rationale.
Market reaction - How has the market responded to the proposed deal? A negative market reaction should cause closer scrutiny of a deal.
Strategic rationale - Does the deal make sense strategically? From where is the value derived? Cost and revenue synergies should not be overly aggressive or optimistic, but reasonably achievable. Management should also have a favorable track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions.
Negotiations and process - Were the terms of the transaction negotiated at arm's-length? Was the process fair and equitable? A fair process helps to ensure the best price for shareholders. Significant negotiation "wins" can also signify the deal makers' competency. The comprehensiveness of the sales process (e.g., full auction, partial auction, no auction) can also affect shareholder value.
Conflicts of interest - Are insiders benefiting from the transaction disproportionately and inappropriately as compared to non-insider shareholders? As the result of potential conflicts, the directors and officers of the company may be more likely to vote to approve a merger than if they did not hold these interests. Consider whether these interests may have influenced these directors and officers to support or recommend the merger. The CIC figure presented in the "ISS Transaction Summary" section of this report is an aggregate figure that can in certain cases be a misleading indicator of the true value transfer from shareholders to insiders. Where such figure appears to be excessive, analyze the underlying assumptions to determine whether a potential conflict exists.
Governance - Will the combined company have a better or worse governance profile than the current governance profiles of the respective parties to the transaction? If the governance profile is to change for the worse, the burden is on the company to prove that other issues (such as valuation) outweigh any deterioration in governance.
COMPENSATION
Executive Pay Evaluation
Underlying all evaluations are five global principles that most investors expect corporations to adhere to in designing and administering executive and director compensation programs:
1. Maintain appropriate pay-for-performance alignment, with emphasis on long-term shareholder value: This principle encompasses overall executive pay practices, which must be designed to attract, retain, and appropriately motivate the key employees who drive shareholder value creation over the long term. It will take into consideration, among other factors, the link between pay and performance; the mix between fixed and variable pay; performance goals; and equity-based plan costs;
2. Avoid arrangements that risk “pay for failure”: This principle addresses the appropriateness of long or indefinite contracts, excessive severance packages, and guaranteed compensation;
3. Maintain an independent and effective compensation committee: This principle promotes oversight of executive pay programs by directors with appropriate skills, knowledge, experience, and a sound process for compensation decision-making (e.g., including access to independent expertise and advice when needed);
4. Provide shareholders with clear, comprehensive compensation disclosures: This principle underscores the importance of informative and timely disclosures that enable shareholders to evaluate executive pay practices fully and fairly;
5. Avoid inappropriate pay to non-executive directors: This principle recognizes the interests of shareholders in ensuring that compensation to outside directors does not compromise their independence and ability to make appropriate judgments in overseeing managers’ pay and performance. At the market level, it may incorporate a variety of generally accepted best practices.
Advisory Votes on Executive CompensationManagement Proposals (Management Say-on- Pay)
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on ballot items related to executive pay and practices, as well as certain aspects of outside director compensation.
Vote against Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation (Management Say-on-PayMSOP) if:
There is a significant misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance);
B-7

 

The company maintains significant problematic pay practices;
The board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders.
Vote against or withhold from the members of the Compensation Committee and potentially the full board if:
There is no MSOP on the ballot, and an against vote on an MSOP is warranted due to pay for performance misalignment, problematic pay practices, or the lack of adequate responsiveness on compensation issues raised previously, or a combination thereof;
The board fails to respond adequately to a previous MSOP proposal that received less than 70 percent support of votes cast;
The company has recently practiced or approved problematic pay practices, including option repricing or option backdating; or
The situation is egregious.
Primary Evaluation Factors for Executive Pay
Pay-for-Performance Evaluation
ISS annually conducts a pay-for-performance analysis to identify strong or satisfactory alignment between pay and performance over a sustained period. With respect to companies in the Russell 3000 or Russell 3000E Indices(7), this analysis considers the following:
1. Peer Group(8) Alignment:
The degree of alignment between the company's annualized TSR rank and the CEO's annualized total pay rank within a peer group, each measured over a three-year period.
The multiple of the CEO's total pay relative to the peer group median.
2. Absolute Alignment(9) the absolute alignment between the trend in CEO pay and company TSR over the prior five fiscal years i.e., the difference between the trend in annual pay changes and the trend in annualized TSR during the period.
If the above analysis demonstrates significant unsatisfactory long-term pay-for-performance alignment or, in the case of companies outside the Russell indices, misaligned pay and performance are otherwise suggested, our analysis may include any of the following qualitative factors, as relevant to evaluating how various pay elements may work to encourage or to undermine long-term value creation and alignment with shareholder interests:
The ratio of performance- to time-based equity awards;
The overall ratio of performance-based compensation;
The completeness of disclosure and rigor of performance goals;
The company's peer group benchmarking practices;
Actual results of financial/operational metrics, such as growth in revenue, profit, cash flow, etc., both absolute and relative to peers;
Special circumstances related to, for example, a new CEO in the prior FY or anomalous equity grant practices (e.g. bi-annual awards);
Realizable pay(10) compared to grant pay; and
Any other factors deemed relevant.
Problematic Pay Practices
The focus is on executive compensation practices that contravene the global pay principles, including:
Problematic practices related to non-performance-based compensation elements;
Incentives that may motivate excessive risk-taking; and
Options Backdating.
(7) The Russell 3000E Index includes approximately 4,000 of the largest U.S. equity securities.
(8) The revised peer group is generally comprised of 14-24 companies that are selected using market cap, revenue (or assets for certain financial firms), GICS industry group, and company's selected peers' GICS industry group, with size constraints, via a process designed to select peers that are comparable to the subject company in terms of revenue/assets and industry, and also within a market cap bucket that is reflective of the company's. For Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels companies, market cap is the only size determinant.
(9) Only Russell 3000 Index companies are subject to the Absolute Alignment analysis.
(10) ISS research reports include realizable pay for S&P1500 companies.
B-8

 

Problematic Pay Practices related to Non-Performance-Based Compensation Elements
Pay elements that are not directly based on performance are generally evaluated case-by-case considering the context of a company's overall pay program and demonstrated pay-for-performance philosophy. Please refer to ISS' Compensation FAQ document for detail on specific pay practices that have been identified as potentially problematic and may lead to negative recommendations if they are deemed to be inappropriate or unjustified relative to executive pay best practices. The list below highlights the problematic practices that carry significant weight in this overall consideration and may result in adverse vote recommendations:
Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/SARS without prior shareholder approval (including cash buyouts and voluntary surrender of underwater options);
Excessive perquisites or tax gross-ups, including any gross-up related to a secular trust or restricted stock vesting;
New or extended agreements that provide for:
CIC payments exceeding 3 times base salary and average/target/most recent bonus;
CIC severance payments without involuntary job loss or substantial diminution of duties ("single" or "modified single" triggers);
CIC payments with excise tax gross-ups (including "modified" gross-ups);
Insufficient executive compensation disclosure by externally- managed issuers (EMIs) such that a reasonable assessment of pay programs and practices applicable to the EMI's executives is not possible.
Incentives that may Motivate Excessive Risk-Taking
Multi-year guaranteed bonuses;
A single or common performance metric used for short- and long-term plans;
Lucrative severance packages;
High pay opportunities relative to industry peers;
Disproportionate supplemental pensions; or
Mega annual equity grants that provide unlimited upside with no downside risk.
Factors that potentially mitigate the impact of risky incentives include rigorous claw-back provisions and robust stock ownership/holding guidelines.
Options Backdating
The following factors should be examined case-by-case to allow for distinctions to be made between “sloppy” plan administration versus deliberate action or fraud:
Reason and motive for the options backdating issue, such as inadvertent vs. deliberate grant date changes;
Duration of options backdating;
Size of restatement due to options backdating;
Corrective actions taken by the board or compensation committee, such as canceling or re-pricing backdated options, the recouping of option gains on backdated grants; and
Adoption of a grant policy that prohibits backdating, and creates a fixed grant schedule or window period for equity grants in the future.
Compensation Committee Communications and Responsiveness
Consider the following factors case-by-case when evaluating ballot items related to executive pay on the board’s responsiveness to investor input and engagement on compensation issues:
Failure to respond to majority-supported shareholder proposals on executive pay topics; or
Failure to adequately respond to the company's previous say-on-pay proposal that received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast, taking into account:
The company's response, including:
Disclosure of engagement efforts with major institutional investors regarding the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Specific actions taken to address the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Other recent compensation actions taken by the company;
Whether the issues raised are recurring or isolated;
The company's ownership structure; and
Whether the support level was less than 50 percent, which would warrant the highest degree of responsiveness.
B-9

 

Equity-Based and Other Incentive Plans
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on certain equity-based compensation plans(11) depending on a combination of certain plan features and equity grant practices, where positive factors may counterbalance negative factors, and vice versa, as evaluated using an "equity plan scorecard" (EPSC) approach with three pillars:
Plan Cost: The total estimated cost of the company’s equity plans relative to industry/market cap peers, measured by the company's estimated Shareholder Value Transfer (SVT) in relation to peers and considering both:
SVT based on new shares requested plus shares remaining for future grants, plus outstanding unvested/unexercised grants; and
SVT based only on new shares requested plus shares remaining for future grants.
Plan Features:
Automatic single-triggered award vesting upon a change in control (CIC);
Discretionary vesting authority;
Liberal share recycling on various award types;
Lack of minimum vesting period for grants made under the plan.
Grant Practices:
The company’s three year burn rate relative to its industry/market cap peers;
Vesting requirements in most recent CEO equity grants (3-year look-back);
The estimated duration of the plan (based on the sum of shares remaining available and the new shares requested, divided by the average annual shares granted in the prior three years);
The proportion of the CEO's most recent equity grants/awards subject to performance conditions;
Whether the company maintains a claw-back policy;
Whether the company has established post exercise/vesting share-holding requirements.
Generally vote against the plan proposal if the combination of above factors indicates that the plan is not, overall, in shareholders' interests, or if any of the following egregious factors apply:
Awards may vest in connection with a liberal change-of-control definition;
The plan would permit repricing or cash buyout of underwater options without shareholder approval (either by expressly permitting it for NYSE and Nasdaq listed companies -- or by not prohibiting it when the company has a history of repricing for non-listed companies);
The plan is a vehicle for problematic pay practices or a significant pay-for-performance disconnect under certain circumstances; or
Any other plan features are determined to have a significant negative impact on shareholder interests.
SOCIAL/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS)
Global Approach
Issues covered under the policy include a wide range of topics, including consumer and product safety, environment and energy, labor standards and human rights, workplace and board diversity, and corporate political issues. While a variety of factors goes into each analysis, the overall principle guiding all vote recommendations focuses on how the proposal may enhance or protect shareholder value in either the short or long term.
General Recommendation: Generally vote case-by-case, taking into consideration whether implementation of the proposal is likely to enhance or protect shareholder value, and in addition the following will also be considered:
If the issues presented in the proposal are more appropriately or effectively dealt with through legislation or government regulation;
If the company has already responded in an appropriate and sufficient manner to the issue(s) raised in the proposal;
Whether the proposal's request is unduly burdensome (scope or timeframe) or overly prescriptive;
The company's approach compared with any industry standard practices for addressing the issue(s) raised by the proposal;
If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether or not reasonable and sufficient
information is currently available to shareholders from the company or from other publicly available sources; and
If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether or not implementation would reveal proprietary or confidential information that could place the company at a competitive disadvantage.
(11)
Proposals evaluated under the EPSC policy generally include those to approve or amend (1) stock option plans for employees and/or employees and directors, (2) restricted stock plans for employees and/or employees and directors, and (3) omnibus stock incentive plans for employees and/or employees and directors.
B-10

 

Climate Change/Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
General Recommendation: Generally vote for resolutions requesting that a company disclose information on the risks related to climate change on its operations and investments, such as financial, physical, or regulatory risks, considering:
Whether the company already provides current, publicly-available information on the impact that climate change may have on the company as well as associated company policies and procedures to address related risks and/or opportunities;
The company’s level of disclosure is at least comparable to that of industry peers; and
There are no significant controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company’s environmental performance.
Generally vote for proposals requesting a report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from company operations and/or products and operations, unless:
The company already discloses current, publicly-available information on the impacts that GHG emissions may have on the company as well as associated company policies and procedures to address related risks and/or opportunities;
The company's level of disclosure is comparable to that of industry peers; and
There are no significant, controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company's GHG emissions.
Vote case-by-case on proposals that call for the adoption of GHG reduction goals from products and operations, taking into account:
Whether the company provides disclosure of year-over-year GHG emissions performance data;
Whether company disclosure lags behind industry peers;
The company's actual GHG emissions performance;
The company's current GHG emission policies, oversight mechanisms, and related initiatives; and
Whether the company has been the subject of recent, significant violations, fines, litigation, or controversy related to GHG emissions.
Board Diversity
General Recommendation: Generally vote for requests for reports on a company's efforts to diversify the board, unless:
The gender and racial minority representation of the company’s board is reasonably inclusive in relation to companies of similar size and business; and
The board already reports on its nominating procedures and gender and racial minority initiatives on the board and within the company.
Vote case-by-case on proposals asking a company to increase the gender and racial minority representation on its board, taking into account:
The degree of existing gender and racial minority diversity on the company’s board and among its executive officers;
The level of gender and racial minority representation that exists at the company’s industry peers;
The company’s established process for addressing gender and racial minority board representation;
Whether the proposal includes an overly prescriptive request to amend nominating committee charter language;
The independence of the company’s nominating committee;
Whether the company uses an outside search firm to identify potential director nominees; and
Whether the company has had recent controversies, fines, or litigation regarding equal employment practices.
Sustainability Reporting
General Recommendation: Generally vote for proposals requesting that a company report on its policies, initiatives, and oversight mechanisms related to social, economic, and environmental sustainability, unless:
The company already discloses similar information through existing reports or policies such as an environment, health, and safety (EHS) report; a comprehensive code of corporate conduct; and/or a diversity report; or
The company has formally committed to the implementation of a reporting program based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines or a similar standard within a specified time frame.
B-11

 

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Compensation-Related Proposals
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on proposals to link, or report on linking, executive compensation to sustainability (environmental and social) criteria, considering:
Whether the company has significant and/or persistent controversies or regulatory violations regarding social and/or environmental issues;
Whether the company has management systems and oversight mechanisms in place regarding its social and environmental performance;
The degree to which industry peers have incorporated similar non-financial performance criteria in their executive compensation practices; and
The company's current level of disclosure regarding its environmental and social performance.
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B-12


Direxion Shares ETF Trust
Prospectus
1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor New York, New York 10019 866-476-7523
www.direxioninvestments.com
3X Bull Funds 3X Bear Funds
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares (DFEN) Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares (DUSL) Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares (TPOR) Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares (UTSL) Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares (MEXX) Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares (EMBU)  
Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares
April 26, 2017
The shares offered in this prospectus (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”) are, or upon commencement of operations will be, listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc.
The Funds seek daily leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. The Funds with “Bull” in their names attempt to provide daily investment results that correspond to three times the performance of an underlying index and are collectively referred to as the “Bull Funds.” The Funds with “Bear” in their names attempt to provide daily investment results that correspond to three times the inverse (or opposite) of the performance of an underlying index and are collectively referred to as the “Bear Funds.”
The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Investors should note that:
(1) The Funds pursue daily leveraged investment objectives, which means that the Funds are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Funds magnify the performance of their underlying index.
(2) Each Bear Fund pursues a daily leveraged investment objective that is inverse to the performance of its underlying index, a result opposite of most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.
(3) The pursuit of daily investment objectives means that the return of a Fund for a period longer than a full trading day will be the product of the series of daily leveraged returns for each trading day during the relevant period. As a consequence, especially in periods of market volatility, the volatility of the underlying index may affect a Fund’s return as much or more than the return of the underlying index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. During periods of high volatility, the Funds may not perform as expected and the Funds may have losses when an investor may have expected gains if the Funds are held for a period that is different than one trading day.

 

The Funds are not suitable for all investors. The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Investors in the Funds should:
(a) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage;
(b) understand the consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results;
(c) for a Bear Fund, understand the risk of shorting; and
(d) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments.
Investors who do not understand the Funds or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments should not buy the Funds.
There is no assurance that any Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
If a Fund’s underlying index moves more than 33% on a given trading day in a direction adverse to the Fund, the Fund’s investors would lose all of their money. The Funds’ investment adviser, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, will attempt to position each Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not lose more than 90% of its net asset value on a given trading day. The cost of such downside protection will be limitations on a Fund’s gains. As a consequence, a Fund’s portfolio may not be responsive to underlying index movements beyond 30% on a given trading day, whether that movement is favorable or adverse to the Fund. For example, if a Bull Fund’s underlying index was to gain 35%, that Fund might be limited to a daily gain of 90%, which corresponds to 300% of an underlying index gain of 30%, rather than 300% of an underlying index gain of 35%.
These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), nor have the SEC or CFTC passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

Table of Contents
Summary Section 1
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares 1
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares 8
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares 15
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares 22
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares 29
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares 36
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares 43
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares 50
Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares 57
Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares 64
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares 71
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares 78
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares 85
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bear 3X Shares 92
Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares 99
Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares 106
Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares 113
Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares 120
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares 127
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares 134
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares 141
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares 149
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares 157
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares 165
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares 173
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50© Bear 3X Shares 180
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares 187
Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares 195
Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares 202
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares 209
Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares 216

 


 

Summary Section
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.06%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.02%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.01%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$103 $324
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or
 
 
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short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is a price-weighted index maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices, LLC (“S&P”). The Index includes 30 large-capitalization U.S. stocks, excluding utility and transportation companies. Components are selected by S&P through a discretionary process with no predetermined, objective criteria. S&P generally selects components that are “blue chip” U.S. companies that are leaders in their industries, have an excellent reputation, have demonstrated sustained growth and are believed to be of interest to a large number of investors. Despite its name, the Index is not limited to industrial stocks, but instead is designed to measure the U.S. market as a whole. Changes in the composition of the Index happen infrequently and generally occur only after corporate acquisitions or other dramatic shifts in a component’s core business.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 30 components which had a median market capitalization of $152.5 billion, market capitalizations ranging from $34.8 billion to $617.6 billion and were concentrated in the financials, industrials and consumer services sectors.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close
of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 2

 

were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 12.30%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 15.45% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 12.91%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of
availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the
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  securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the
difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 4

 

company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Consumer Services Sector Risk -The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the consumer services sector. Because companies provide services directly to consumers, these companies are impacted by competition and consumer confidence and are dependent on disposable household income and discretionary consumer spending. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes can impact demand for, and the success of, consumer service companies.
Financials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, financial services companies. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be materially impacted by many factors, including but not limited to, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Profitability of these companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers also can negatively impact the sector. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and recent or future regulation on any individual company or the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.
Industrials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the industrials sector. Stock prices of issuers in the industrials sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrials sector products in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions will also affect the performance of investments in such issuers. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. and other government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in,
aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by government defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government spending budgets. Transportation companies, another component of the industrials sector, are subject to cyclical performance and therefore investment in such companies may experience occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments
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or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
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Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Index Information
Dow Jones®, Dow Jones Industrial Average® and DJIA® are trademarks of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. (“Dow Jones®”). Dow Jones® has no relationship to the Fund, other than the licensing of those service marks for use in connection with the Fund’s materials. Dow Jones® does not sponsor, endorse, sell or promote any of the Funds.
7 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Dow Jones Industrials Average Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is a price-weighted index maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices, LLC (“S&P”). The Index includes 30 large-capitalization U.S. stocks, excluding utility and transportation companies. Components are selected by S&P through a discretionary process with no predetermined, objective criteria. S&P generally selects components that are “blue chip” U.S. companies that are leaders in their industries, have an excellent reputation, have demonstrated sustained growth and are believed to be of interest to a large number of investors. Despite its name, the Index is not limited to industrial stocks, but instead is designed to measure the U.S. market as a whole. Changes in the composition of the Index happen infrequently and generally occur only after corporate acquisitions or other dramatic shifts in a component’s core business.
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As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 30 components which had a median market capitalization of $152.5 billion, market capitalizations ranging from $34.8 billion to $617.6 billion and were concentrated in the financials, industrials and consumer services sectors.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money
invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios
9 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 12.30%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 15.45% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 12.91%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track
the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 10

 

leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment
strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
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The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Consumer Services Sector Risk -The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the consumer services sector. Because companies provide services directly to consumers, these companies are impacted by competition and consumer confidence and are dependent on disposable household income and discretionary consumer spending. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes can impact demand for, and the success of, consumer service companies.
Financials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, financial services companies. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be materially impacted by many factors, including but not limited to, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Profitability of these companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers also can negatively impact the sector. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and recent or future regulation on any individual company or the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.
Industrials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the industrials sector. Stock prices of issuers in the industrials sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrials sector products in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions will also affect the performance of investments in such issuers. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. and other government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by government defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government spending budgets. Transportation companies, another component
of the industrials sector, are subject to cyclical performance and therefore investment in such companies may experience occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
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Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized
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Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Index Information
Dow Jones®, Dow Jones Industrial Average® and DJIA® are trademarks of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. (“Dow Jones®”). Dow Jones® has no relationship to the Fund, other than the licensing of those service marks for use in connection with the Fund’s materials. Dow Jones® does not sponsor, endorse, sell or promote any of the Funds.
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Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.13%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.09%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.08%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$110 $346
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by Dow Jones U.S. Index (the “Index Provider”). The Index attempts to measure the performance of the aerospace and defense industry of the U.S. equity market. The Index Provider selects the stocks comprising the Index from the aerospace and defense sector on the basis of the float-adjusted, market capitalization-weight of each constituent. Aerospace companies include manufacturers, assemblers and distributors of aircraft and aircraft parts. Defense companies include producers of components and equipment for the defense industry, such as military aircraft, radar equipment and weapons.
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As of December 30, 2016 the Index consisted of 39 components that had a median total market capitalization of $2.6 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $600 million to $89.4 billion and were concentrated in aerospace and defense industries which are industries included in the industrials sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not
traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios
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where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.99%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 15.71% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 20.24%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track
the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index
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will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser
at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 18

 

to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Aerospace and Defense Industry Risk Companies in the aerospace and defense industries can be significantly affected by changes in government regulations and spending policies, economic conditions and industry consolidation. The aerospace industry in particular has recently been affected by adverse economic conditions and consolidation within the industry.
Industrials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the industrials sector. Stock prices of issuers in the industrials sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrials sector products in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions will also affect the performance of investments in such issuers. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. and other government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by government defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government spending budgets. Transportation companies, another component of the industrials sector, are subject to cyclical performance and therefore investment in such companies may experience occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product
lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
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agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net
asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 20

 

Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
21 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by Dow Jones U.S. Index (the “Index Provider”). The Index attempts to measure the performance of the aerospace and defense industry of the U.S. equity market. The Index Provider selects the stocks comprising the Index from the aerospace and defense sector on the basis of the float-adjusted, market capitalization-weight of each constituent. Aerospace companies include manufacturers, assemblers and distributors of aircraft and aircraft parts. Defense companies include producers of components and equipment for the defense industry, such as military aircraft, radar equipment and weapons.
As of December 30, 2016 the Index consisted of 39 components that had a median total market capitalization of $2.6 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 22

 

$600 million to $89.4 billion and were concentrated in aerospace and defense industries which are industries included in the industrials sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds
and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios
23 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.99%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 15.71% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 20.24%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track
the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 24

 

leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment
strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
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The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Aerospace and Defense Industry Risk Companies in the aerospace and defense industries can be significantly affected by changes in government regulations and spending policies, economic conditions and industry consolidation. The aerospace industry in particular has recently been affected by adverse economic conditions and consolidation within the industry.
Industrials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the industrials sector. Stock prices of issuers in the industrials sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrials sector products in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions will also affect the performance of investments in such issuers. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. and other government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by government defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government spending budgets. Transportation companies, another component of the industrials sector, are subject to cyclical performance and therefore investment in such companies may experience occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the
performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher
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transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the
way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
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Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.06%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.02%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.01%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$103 $324
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices (the “Index Provider”) and includes domestic companies from the consumer discretionary sector which includes the following industries: media; retail (specialty, multiline, internet & catalog); hotels, restaurants & leisure; textiles, apparel & luxury goods; household durables; automobiles; automobile components; distributors; leisure equipment & products; and diversified consumer services. The Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the stocks in the Index is also a constituent company of the S&P 500® Index; (2) each constituent in the S&P 500® Index is assigned to one of the Select Sector Indexes; and (3) the Index is calculated by the Index Provider using a modified “market capitalization”
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methodology, which is a hybrid between equal weighting and conventional market capitalization weighting with the weighting capped for the largest stocks included in the Index. This design ensures that each of the component stocks within a Select Sector Index is represented in a proportion consistent with its percentage with respect to the total market capitalization of such Select Sector Index.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 86 constituents which had a median total market capitalization of $10.9 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $2.4 billion to $356.3 billion and were concentrated in the consumer discretionary sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is
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100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.13%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 16.36% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 17.80%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment
objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
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Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of
exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 32

 

performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the consumer discretionary sector. Because companies in the consumer discretionary sector manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer, the success of these companies is tied closely to the performance of the overall domestic and international economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence. Success depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Also, companies in the consumer discretionary sector may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on a company’s profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes also can affect the demand for, and success of, consumer discretionary products in the marketplace.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result,
the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an
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unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into
agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those
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distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Index Information
“ Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, “S&P 500®” and “Standard & Poor’s 500®” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s®, and Standard & Poor’s® makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices (the “Index Provider”) and includes domestic companies from the consumer discretionary sector which includes the following industries: media; retail (specialty, multiline, internet & catalog); hotels, restaurants & leisure; textiles, apparel & luxury goods; household durables; automobiles; automobile components; distributors; leisure equipment & products; and diversified consumer services. The Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the stocks in the Index is also a constituent company of the S&P 500® Index; (2) each constituent in the S&P 500® Index is assigned to one of the Select Sector Indexes; and (3) the Index is calculated by the Index Provider using a modified “market capitalization” methodology, which is a hybrid between equal weighting
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 36

 

and conventional market capitalization weighting with the weighting capped for the largest stocks included in the Index. This design ensures that each of the component stocks within a Select Sector Index is represented in a proportion consistent with its percentage with respect to the total market capitalization of such Select Sector Index.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 86 constituents which had a median total market capitalization of $10.9 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $2.4 billion to $356.3 billion and were concentrated in the consumer discretionary sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even
possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
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At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.13%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 16.36% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 17.80%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses
derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 38

 

  Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or
“short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because
39 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the consumer discretionary sector. Because companies in the consumer discretionary sector manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer, the success of these companies is tied closely to the performance of the overall domestic and international economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence. Success depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Also, companies in the consumer discretionary sector may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on a company’s profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes also can affect the demand for, and success of, consumer discretionary products in the marketplace.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater
price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 40

 

Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
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Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Index Information
“ Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, “S&P 500®” and “Standard & Poor’s 500®” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s®, and Standard & Poor’s® makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 42

 

Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Consumer Staples Select Sector Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.06%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.02%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.01%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$103 $324
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices (the “Index Provider”) and includes domestic companies from the consumer staples sector which includes the following industries: food and staples retailing; household products; food products; beverages; tobacco; and personal products. The Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the stocks in the Index is also a constituent company of the S&P 500® Index; (2) each constituent in the S&P 500® Index is assigned to one of the Select Sector Indexes; and (3) the Index is calculated by the Index Provider using a modified “market capitalization” methodology, which is a hybrid between equal weighting and conventional capitalization market weighting with the weighting capped
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for the largest stocks included in the Index. This design ensures that each of the component stocks within a Select Sector Index is represented in a proportion consistent with its percentage with respect to the total market capitalization of such Select Sector Index.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 37 constituents, which had a median total market capitalization of $26.3 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $9.8 billion to $225 billion and were concentrated in the consumer staples sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is
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100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 11.24%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 13.76% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 12.90%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment
objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
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Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of
exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s
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performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk Consumer staples companies are subject to government regulation affecting their products which may negatively impact such companies’ performance. For instance, government regulations may affect the permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. Also, the success of food, beverages, household and personal product companies may be strongly affected by changing consumer tastes and/or interest, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting supply and demand, including performance of the overall domestic and global economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence and spending. In particular, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Mid-Capitalization Company Risk - Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of mid-capitalization companies involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more established, larger-capitalization companies. Mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by
the Fund. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s
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judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that
Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may
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also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Index Information
“ Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, “S&P 500®” and “Standard & Poor’s 500®” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s®, and Standard & Poor’s® makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Consumer Staples Select Sector Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices (the “Index Provider”) and includes domestic companies from the consumer staples sector which includes the following industries: food and staples retailing; household products; food products; beverages; tobacco; and personal products. The Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the stocks in the Index is also a constituent company of the S&P 500® Index; (2) each constituent in the S&P 500® Index is assigned to one of the Select Sector Indexes; and (3) the Index is calculated by the Index Provider using a modified “market capitalization” methodology, which is a hybrid between equal weighting and conventional capitalization market weighting with the weighting capped for the largest stocks included in the Index. This design ensures
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that each of the component stocks within a Select Sector Index is represented in a proportion consistent with its percentage with respect to the total market capitalization of such Select Sector Index.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 37 constituents, which had a median total market capitalization of $26.3 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $9.8 billion to $225 billion and were concentrated in the consumer staples sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is
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100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 11.24%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 13.76% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 12.90%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.
Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use
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  of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose
the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the
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Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk Consumer staples companies are subject to government regulation affecting their products which may negatively impact such companies’ performance. For instance, government regulations may affect the permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. Also, the success of food, beverages, household and personal product companies may be strongly affected by changing consumer tastes and/or interest, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting supply and demand, including performance of the overall domestic and global economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence and spending. In particular, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Mid-Capitalization Company Risk - Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of mid-capitalization companies involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more established, larger-
capitalization companies. Mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
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Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized
55 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Index Information
“ Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, “S&P 500®” and “Standard & Poor’s 500®” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s®, and Standard & Poor’s® makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 56

 

Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Industrials Select Sector Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.13%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.09%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.08%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$110 $346
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices (the “Index Provider”) and includes domestic companies from the industrials sector which includes the following industries: aerospace and defense: industry conglomerates; and machinery. The Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the stocks in the Index is also a constituent company of the S&P 500® Index; (2) each constituent in the S&P 500® Index is assigned to one of the Select Sector Indexes; and (3) the Index is calculated by the Index Provider using a modified “market capitalization” methodology, which is a hybrid between equal weighting and conventional market capitalization weighting with the weighting capped for the largest stocks included in the Index. This design ensures that
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each of the component stocks within a Select Sector Index is represented in a proportion consistent with its percentage with respect to the total market capitalization of such Select Sector Index.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 69 constituents, which had a median total market capitalization of $15 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $2.8 billion to $279.5 billion and were concentrated in the industrials sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is
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100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.50%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 15.94% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 15.56%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment
objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
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Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of
exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s
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performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Industrials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the industrials sector. Stock prices of issuers in the industrials sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrials sector products in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions will also affect the performance of investments in such issuers. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. and other government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by government defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government spending budgets. Transportation companies, another component of the industrials sector, are subject to cyclical performance and therefore investment in such companies may experience occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not
have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
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Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings
and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and
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may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Index Information
“ Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, “S&P 500®” and “Standard & Poor’s 500®” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s®, and Standard & Poor’s® makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Industrials Select Sector Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices (the “Index Provider”) and includes domestic companies from the industrials sector which includes the following industries: aerospace and defense: industry conglomerates; and machinery. The Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the stocks in the Index is also a constituent company of the S&P 500® Index; (2) each constituent in the S&P 500® Index is assigned to one of the Select Sector Indexes; and (3) the Index is calculated by the Index Provider using a modified “market capitalization” methodology, which is a hybrid between equal weighting and conventional market capitalization weighting with the weighting capped for the largest stocks included in the Index. This design ensures that each of the component stocks within a Select Sector Index
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is represented in a proportion consistent with its percentage with respect to the total market capitalization of such Select Sector Index.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 69 constituents, which had a median total market capitalization of $15 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $2.8 billion to $279.5 billion and were concentrated in the industrials sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is
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100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.50%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 15.94% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 15.56%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.
Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use
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  of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose
the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the
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Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Industrials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the industrials sector. Stock prices of issuers in the industrials sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrials sector products in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions will also affect the performance of investments in such issuers. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. and other government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by government defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government spending budgets. Transportation companies, another component of the industrials sector, are subject to cyclical performance and therefore investment in such companies may experience occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the
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possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
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Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Index Information
“ Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, “S&P 500®” and “Standard & Poor’s 500®” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s®, and Standard & Poor’s® makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the S&P Metals & Mining Select Industry Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.11%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.07%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.06%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$108 $339
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is a modified equal-weighted index that is designed to measure the performance of the stocks comprising the S&P Total Market Index that are classified in the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) metals and mining industry. The metals and mining industry includes the following sub-industries: aluminum; coal & consumable fuels; copper; diversified metals & mining; gold; precious metals & minerals; silver; and steel. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, stocks must satisfy one of the two following combined size and liquidity criteria: (1) float-adjusted market capitalization above $500 million and float-adjusted liquidity ratio above 90% or (2) float-adjusted market capitalization above $400 million and float-adjusted liquidity ratio above 150%. The Index is rebalanced quarterly. At each rebalance
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date, the components are initially equal-weighted and then adjustments are made to ensure that the market capitalization weight for any individual component does not exceed a specified value that can be traded in a single day as set by S& P on an annual basis.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index had 27 constituents, which had a median market capitalization of $2.1 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $537 million to $19 billion and were concentrated in the metals and mining industry which is included in the materials sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is
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100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 31.20%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 40.08% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was -7.81%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment
objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
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Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of
exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s
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performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Materials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the materials sector. Companies in the materials sector could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rate import controls and increased competition. The production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Companies in the materials sector also are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims, and may be materially affected by depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations, and governmental regulations.
Mining and Metal Industry Risk - The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, securities issued by companies primarily involved in the mining of precious metals. Mining and metal companies can be significantly affected by events relating to international political and economic developments, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, commodity prices and tax and other government regulations. Investments in mining and metal industry companies may be speculative and subject to greater price volatility than investments in other types of companies. Increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of mining and metal investments. In addition, changes in international monetary policies or economic and political conditions can affect the supply of gold and precious metals, and consequently the value of mining and metal company investments. The United States or foreign governments may pass laws or regulations limiting metal investments for strategic or other policy reasons. Further, the principal supplies of metal industries may be concentrated in a small number of countries and regions.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the
performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher
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transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the
way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
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Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the S&P Metals & Mining Select Industry Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is a modified equal-weighted index that is designed to measure the performance of the stocks comprising the S&P Total Market Index that are classified in the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) metals and mining industry. The metals and mining industry includes the following sub-industries: aluminum; coal & consumable fuels; copper; diversified metals & mining; gold; precious metals & minerals; silver; and steel. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, stocks must satisfy one of the two following combined size and liquidity criteria: (1) float-adjusted market capitalization above $500 million and float-adjusted liquidity ratio above 90% or (2) float-adjusted market capitalization above $400 million and float-adjusted liquidity ratio above 150%. The Index is rebalanced quarterly. At each rebalance
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date, the components are initially equal-weighted and then adjustments are made to ensure that the market capitalization weight for any individual component does not exceed a specified value that can be traded in a single day as set by S& P on an annual basis.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index had 27 constituents, which had a median market capitalization of $2.1 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $537 million to $19 billion and were concentrated in the metals and mining industry which is included in the materials sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is
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100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 31.20%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 40.08% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was -7.81%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.
Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use
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  of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose
the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the
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Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Materials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the materials sector. Companies in the materials sector could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rate import controls and increased competition. The production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Companies in the materials sector also are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims, and may be materially affected by depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations, and governmental regulations.
Mining and Metal Industry Risk - The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, securities issued by companies primarily involved in the mining of precious metals. Mining and metal companies can be significantly affected by events relating to international political and economic developments, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, commodity prices and tax and other government regulations. Investments in mining and metal industry companies may be speculative and subject to greater price volatility than investments in other types of companies. Increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of mining and metal investments. In addition, changes in international monetary policies or economic and political conditions can affect the supply of gold and precious metals, and consequently the value of mining and metal company investments. The United States or foreign governments may pass laws or regulations limiting metal investments for strategic or other policy reasons. Further, the principal supplies
of metal industries may be concentrated in a small number of countries and regions.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks,
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in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price.
Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
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Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Dynamic Pharmaceutical Intellidex Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.17%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.13%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.12%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$114 $358
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index consists of common shares of companies that are principally engaged in research, development, manufacture, sale or distribution of pharmaceuticals and drugs of all types. The Index may include pharmaceutical companies and other companies that facilitate the testing or regulatory approval of drugs. NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Index Provider”) begins with the 2,000 largest companies listed on both the NYSE MKT and NASDAQ exchanges and then uses a proprietary model that ranks the stocks for capital appreciation potential. The Index Provider then divides the companies into two market capitalization groups, larger and smaller. The Index Provider then identifies a specified number of companies from each
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group for inclusion in the Index. The larger market capitalization companies will represent 40% of the Index and the smaller market capitalization companies will represent 60% of the Index when the Index is rebalanced.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 21 constituents, which had an average market capitalization of $66.7 billion, market capitalizations ranging from $819.3 million to $313.4 billion and were concentrated in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries which are included in the healthcare sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is
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100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 18.86%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 23.66% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 18.06%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment
objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
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Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of
exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s
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performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Biotechnology Industry Risk - The Fund will invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the biotechnology industry. Companies within the biotech industry invest heavily in research and development, which may not lead to commercially successful products. The biotech industry is also subject to increased governmental regulation, which may delay or inhibit the release of new products. Many biotech companies are dependent upon their ability to use and enforce intellectual property rights and patents. Any impairment or expiration of such rights may have adverse financial consequences for these companies. Biotech stocks, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Biotech companies can be significantly affected by technological change and obsolescence, product liability lawsuits and consequential high insurance costs.
Healthcare Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the healthcare sector. The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection. The expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many healthcare companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and costly with no guarantee that any product will come to market.
Pharmaceutical Industry Risk - The Fund invests in, and/or has exposure to, the securities of companies in the pharmaceutical industry. The profitability of these companies is highly dependent on the development, procurement and marketing of drugs and the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights and other proprietary information. These companies may be significantly affected by such events as the expiration of patents or the loss of, or the inability to enforce, intellectual property rights. Research and other costs associated with developing or procuring new drugs and the related intellectual property rights can be significant, and the results of such research
and expenditures are unpredictable. Many pharmaceutical companies face intense competition from new products and less costly generic products. In addition, the process for obtaining regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other governmental regulatory authorities is long and costly and there is no assurance that the necessary approvals will be obtained or maintained by these companies.
Additionally, companies in the pharmaceutical industry may be subject to expenses and losses from extensive litigation based on intellectual property, product liability and similar claims. These companies may be adversely affected by government regulation and changes in reimbursement rates from third-party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid and other government-sponsored programs, private health insurance plans and health maintenance organizations.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the
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underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets
and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and
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redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants
in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Dynamic Pharmaceutical Intellidex Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index consists of common shares of companies that are principally engaged in research, development, manufacture,
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sale or distribution of pharmaceuticals and drugs of all types. The Index may include pharmaceutical companies and other companies that facilitate the testing or regulatory approval of drugs. NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Index Provider”) begins with the 2,000 largest companies listed on both the NYSE MKT and NASDAQ exchanges and then uses a proprietary model that ranks the stocks for capital appreciation potential. The Index Provider then divides the companies into two market capitalization groups, larger and smaller. The Index Provider then identifies a specified number of companies from each group for inclusion in the Index. The larger market capitalization companies will represent 40% of the Index and the smaller market capitalization companies will represent 60% of the Index when the Index is rebalanced.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 21 constituents, which had an average market capitalization of $66.7 billion, market capitalizations ranging from $819.3 million to $313.4 billion and were concentrated in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries which are included in the healthcare sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii)
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borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 18.86%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 23.66% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 18.06%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized
activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the
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  securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when
the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse
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correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Biotechnology Industry Risk - The Fund will invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the biotechnology industry. Companies within the biotech industry invest heavily in research and development, which may not lead to commercially successful products. The biotech industry is also subject to increased governmental regulation, which may delay or inhibit the release of new products. Many biotech companies are dependent upon their ability to use and enforce intellectual property rights and patents. Any impairment or expiration of such rights may have adverse financial consequences for these companies. Biotech stocks, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Biotech companies can be significantly affected by technological change and obsolescence, product liability lawsuits and consequential high insurance costs.
Healthcare Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the healthcare sector. The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent
protection. The expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many healthcare companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and costly with no guarantee that any product will come to market.
Pharmaceutical Industry Risk - The Fund invests in, and/or has exposure to, the securities of companies in the pharmaceutical industry. The profitability of these companies is highly dependent on the development, procurement and marketing of drugs and the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights and other proprietary information. These companies may be significantly affected by such events as the expiration of patents or the loss of, or the inability to enforce, intellectual property rights. Research and other costs associated with developing or procuring new drugs and the related intellectual property rights can be significant, and the results of such research and expenditures are unpredictable. Many pharmaceutical companies face intense competition from new products and less costly generic products. In addition, the process for obtaining regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other governmental regulatory authorities is long and costly and there is no assurance that the necessary approvals will be obtained or maintained by these companies.
Additionally, companies in the pharmaceutical industry may be subject to expenses and losses from extensive litigation based on intellectual property, product liability and similar claims. These companies may be adversely affected by government regulation and changes in reimbursement rates from third-party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid and other government-sponsored programs, private health insurance plans and health maintenance organizations.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies.
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Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in
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the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Dow Jones Transportation AverageTM (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.13%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.09%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.08%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$110 $346
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by Dow Jones U.S. Index (the “Index Provider”) and measures the performance of large, well-known companies within the transportation industry (e.g. shipping, railroad companies, airlines, etc.) Components are selected through a discretionary process with no predetermined, objective criteria. Stocks are selected typically only if the company has an excellent reputation, the company demonstrates sustained growth and is believed to be of interest to a large number of investors. The Index is price weighted and rebalanced as needed by the Index Provider.
As of December 30, 2016 the Index consisted of 20 components that had a median total market capitalization of $10.7 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from
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$1.5 billion to $85.4 billion and were concentrated in the transportation industry which is included in the industrials sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks
listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
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One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 17.17%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 18.48% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.11%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may
not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every
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1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value
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of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Transportation Industry Risk - The transportation industry may be adversely affected by economic changes, increases in fuel and operating costs, labor relations and insurance costs. Transportation companies may also be subject to significant government regulation and oversight, which may adversely affect their businesses.
Industrials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the industrials sector. Stock prices of issuers in the industrials sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrials sector products in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions will also affect the performance of investments in such issuers. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. and other government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by government defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government spending budgets. Transportation companies, another component of the industrials sector, are subject to cyclical performance and therefore investment in such companies may experience occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not
have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
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Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings
and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and
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may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Dow Jones Transportation AverageTM (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by Dow Jones U.S. Index (the “Index Provider”) and measures the performance of large, well-known companies within the transportation industry (e.g. shipping, railroad companies, airlines, etc.) Components are selected through a discretionary process with no predetermined, objective criteria. Stocks are selected typically only if the company has an excellent reputation, the company demonstrates sustained growth and is believed to be of interest to a large number of investors. The Index is price weighted and rebalanced as needed by the Index Provider.
As of December 30, 2016 the Index consisted of 20 components that had a median total market capitalization of $10.7 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from
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$1.5 billion to $85.4 billion and were concentrated in the transportation industry which is included in the industrials sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds
and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios
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where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 17.17%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 18.48% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.11%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track
the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize
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leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment
strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
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The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Transportation Industry Risk - The transportation industry may be adversely affected by economic changes, increases in fuel and operating costs, labor relations and insurance costs. Transportation companies may also be subject to significant government regulation and oversight, which may adversely affect their businesses.
Industrials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the industrials sector. Stock prices of issuers in the industrials sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrials sector products in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions will also affect the performance of investments in such issuers. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. and other government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by government defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government spending budgets. Transportation companies, another component of the industrials sector, are subject to cyclical performance and therefore investment in such companies may experience occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the
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possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
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Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Utilities Select Sector Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.06%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.02%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.01%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$103 $324
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices (the “Index Provider”) and includes domestic companies from the utilities sector which includes the following industries: electric utilities; multi-utilities; water utilities; independent power producers and energy trades; and gas utilities. The Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the stocks in the Index is also a constituent company of the S&P 500® Index; (2) each constituent in the S&P 500® Index is assigned to one of the Select Sector Indexes; and (3) the Index is calculated by the Index Provider using a modified “market capitalization” methodology, which is a hybrid between equal weighting and conventional market capitalization weighting with the weighting capped for the largest stocks
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included in the Index. This design ensures that each of the component stocks within a Select Sector Index is represented in a proportion consistent with its percentage with respect to the total market capitalization of such Select Sector Index. The Index is rebalanced quarterly.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 28 constituents, which had a median total market capitalization of $18.1 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $3.9 billion to $55.8 billion and were concentrated in the utilities sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is
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100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.00%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 17.26% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 10.37%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment
objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
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Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of
exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s
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performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Utilities Sector Risk Utility companies are affected by supply and demand, operating costs, government regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. Although rate changes of a regulated utility usually fluctuate in approximate correlation with financing costs, due to political and regulatory factors, rate changes ordinarily occur only following a delay after the changes in financing costs. This factor will tend to favorably affect a regulated utility company’s earnings and dividends in times of decreasing costs, but conversely, will tend to adversely affect earnings and dividends when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility equity securities may tend to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utilities are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. These opportunities may permit certain utility companies to earn more than their traditional regulated rates of return. Some companies, however, may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. In addition, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, government intervention or other factors may render a utility company’s equipment unusable or obsolete which may negatively impact profitability.
Utility companies may be adversely affected by increases in fuel and other operating costs, high costs of borrowing to finance capital construction during inflationary periods, restrictions on operations and increased costs and delays associated with compliance with environmental and nuclear safety regulations, and difficulties involved in obtaining natural gas for resale or fuel for generating electricity at reasonable prices. Additionally, these companies may be subject to risks related to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, the effects of energy conservation and the effects of regulatory changes.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the
performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Mid-Capitalization Company Risk - Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of mid-capitalization companies involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more established, larger-capitalization companies. Mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income
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when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
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Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Index Information
“ Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, “S&P 500®” and “Standard & Poor’s 500®” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s®, and Standard & Poor’s® makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Utilities Select Sector Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices (the “Index Provider”) and includes domestic companies from the utilities sector which includes the following industries: electric utilities; multi-utilities; water utilities; independent power producers and energy trades; and gas utilities. The Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the stocks in the Index is also a constituent company of the S&P 500® Index; (2) each constituent in the S&P 500® Index is assigned to one of the Select Sector Indexes; and (3) the Index is calculated by the Index Provider using a modified “market capitalization” methodology, which is a hybrid between equal weighting and conventional market capitalization weighting with the weighting capped for the largest stocks included in the Index. This design ensures that each of the
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component stocks within a Select Sector Index is represented in a proportion consistent with its percentage with respect to the total market capitalization of such Select Sector Index. The Index is rebalanced quarterly.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 28 constituents, which had a median total market capitalization of $18.1 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $3.9 billion to $55.8 billion and were concentrated in the utilities sector.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is
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100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 14.00%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 17.26% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 10.37%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.
Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use
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  of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose
the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the
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Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Utilities Sector Risk Utility companies are affected by supply and demand, operating costs, government regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. Although rate changes of a regulated utility usually fluctuate in approximate correlation with financing costs, due to political and regulatory factors, rate changes ordinarily occur only following a delay after the changes in financing costs. This factor will tend to favorably affect a regulated utility company’s earnings and dividends in times of decreasing costs, but conversely, will tend to adversely affect earnings and dividends when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility equity securities may tend to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utilities are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. These opportunities may permit certain utility companies to earn more than their traditional regulated rates of return. Some companies, however, may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. In addition, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, government intervention or other factors may render a utility company’s equipment unusable or obsolete which may negatively impact profitability.
Utility companies may be adversely affected by increases in fuel and other operating costs, high costs of borrowing to finance capital construction during inflationary periods, restrictions on operations and increased costs and delays associated with compliance with environmental and nuclear safety regulations, and difficulties involved in obtaining natural gas for resale or fuel for generating electricity at reasonable prices. Additionally, these companies may be
subject to risks related to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, the effects of energy conservation and the effects of regulatory changes.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Mid-Capitalization Company Risk - Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of mid-capitalization companies involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more established, larger-capitalization companies. Mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of
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equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase
agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date
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of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Index Information
“ Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, “S&P 500®” and “Standard & Poor’s 500®” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s®, and Standard & Poor’s® makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the MSCI Canada Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.14%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.10%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.09%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$111 $349
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of the large- and mid-capitalization segments of the Canadian equity market, covering approximately 85% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in Canada. The Index consists of stocks that primarily trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Index is reviewed and rebalanced semi-annually.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 94 constituents which had a median total market capitalization of $7.1 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $1.3 billion to $100.6 billion and were concentrated in the financials and energy sectors.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over
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time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over
the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
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One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 15.69%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 19.43% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 2.01%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may
not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every
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1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed
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on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Canadian Securities Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, Canadian securities. The United States is Canada’s largest trading and investment partner and the Canadian economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total two-way merchandise trade between the United States and Canada has more than doubled. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Canada’s dependency on the U.S. economy. Any downturn in U.S or Mexican economic activity is likely to have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy. The Canadian economy is also dependent upon external trade with other key trading partners, including China and the European Union. In addition, Canada is a large supplier of natural resources (e.g., oil, natural gas and agricultural products). As a result, the Canadian economy is sensitive to fluctuations in the supply of, and demand for, such commodities.
Energy Sector Risk The Fund invests in, and/or has exposure to, companies that engage in energy-related businesses and companies primarily involved in the production and mining of coal, development and production of oil, gas and consumable fuels and provide drilling and other energy resources production and distribution related services. As a result, the Fund is subject to risks of legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting the energy sector. The prices of the securities of energy and energy services companies may fluctuate widely due to the supply and demand, exploration and production spending, world events and economic conditions, swift price and supply fluctuations, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities and tax and other governmental regulatory policies and legislation. Weak demand for energy companies’ products or services or for energy products and services in general, as well as negative developments in these other areas, including natural disaster and terrorist attacks, impact energy company securities.
Financials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, financial services companies. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be materially impacted by many factors, including but not limited to, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Profitability of these companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital and can
fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers also can negatively impact the sector. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and recent or future regulation on any individual company or the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a country’s currency and the Fund’s share price. Generally, when the U.S. Dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in that country loses value because that currency is worth fewer U.S. Dollars. Devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority also will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. Additionally, the Fund may invest in a limited number of currencies. As a result, an increase or decrease in the value of any of these currencies would have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and total return than if the Fund held a more diversified number of currencies.
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Depositary Receipt Risk To the extent the Fund invests in, and/or has exposure to, foreign companies, the Fund’s investment may be in the form of depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). While the use of ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, which are traded on exchanges and represent ownership in a foreign security, provide an alternative to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their respective national markets and currencies, investments in ADRs, EDRs, and GDRs continue to be subject to certain of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities, such as political and exchange rate risks.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Geographic Concentration Risk Investments in a particular country or geographic region may be particularly susceptible to political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance
its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may
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be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet
the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the MSCI Canada Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of the large- and mid-capitalization segments of the Canadian equity market, covering approximately 85% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in Canada. The Index consists of stocks that primarily trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Index is reviewed and rebalanced semi-annually.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 94 constituents which had a median total market capitalization of $7.1 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $1.3 billion to $100.6 billion and were concentrated in the financials and energy sectors.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular
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industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day
will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
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One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 15.69%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 19.43% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 2.01%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may
not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will
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be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions
are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock
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Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Canadian Securities Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, Canadian securities. The United States is Canada’s largest trading and investment partner and the Canadian economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total two-way merchandise trade between the United States and Canada has more than doubled. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Canada’s dependency on the U.S. economy. Any downturn in U.S or Mexican economic activity is likely to have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy. The Canadian economy is also dependent upon external trade with other key trading partners, including China and the European Union. In addition, Canada is a large supplier of natural resources (e.g., oil, natural gas and agricultural products). As a result, the Canadian economy is sensitive to fluctuations in the supply of, and demand for, such commodities.
Energy Sector Risk The Fund invests in, and/or has exposure to, companies that engage in energy-related businesses and companies primarily involved in the production and mining of coal, development and production of oil, gas and consumable fuels and provide drilling and other energy resources production and distribution related services. As a result, the Fund is subject to risks of legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting the energy sector. The prices of the securities of energy and energy services companies may fluctuate widely due to the supply and demand, exploration and production spending, world events and economic conditions, swift price and supply fluctuations, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities and tax and other governmental regulatory policies and legislation. Weak demand for energy companies’ products
or services or for energy products and services in general, as well as negative developments in these other areas, including natural disaster and terrorist attacks, impact energy company securities.
Financials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, financial services companies. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be materially impacted by many factors, including but not limited to, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Profitability of these companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers also can negatively impact the sector. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and recent or future regulation on any individual company or the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a country’s currency and the
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Fund’s share price. Generally, when the U.S. Dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in that country loses value because that currency is worth fewer U.S. Dollars. Devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority also will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. Additionally, the Fund may invest in a limited number of currencies. As a result, an increase or decrease in the value of any of these currencies would have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and total return than if the Fund held a more diversified number of currencies.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Geographic Concentration Risk Investments in a particular country or geographic region may be particularly susceptible to political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase
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agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet
the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the MSCI Italy 25/50 Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.14%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.10%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.09%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$111 $349
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of the large- and mid-capitalization segments of the Italian equity market, covering approximately 85% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in Italy. The Index consists of stocks primarily traded on the Milan Stock Exchange. The Index is reviewed and rebalanced quarterly.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 23 constituents which had a median total market capitalization of $14.5 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $5.6 billion to $59.3 billion and were concentrated in the financials, energy and utilities sectors.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over
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time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over
the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
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One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 26.74%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 33.17% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 4.00%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may
not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every
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1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed
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on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Italian Securities Risk - The Fund’s investment in, and/or exposure to, Italian issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risk specific to Italy. Italy’s economy is dependent upon external trade with other economies, specifically Germany, France, other Western European developed countries and the United States. As a result, Italy is dependent on the economies of these other countries and any change in the price or demand for Italy’s exports may have an adverse impact on its economy. Recently, the Italian economy, along with certain other European economies, has experienced significant volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturn and rising government debt levels. Interest rates on Italy’s debt may rise to levels that may make it difficult for it to service high debt levels without significant financial help from the European Union and could potentially lead to default. These events have adversely impacted the Italian economy, causing credit agencies to lower Italy’s sovereign debt rating and could decrease outside investment in Italian companies.
European Economic Risk - The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including some or all of the European countries in which the Fund invests. The European financial markets experienced volatility and were adversely affected by concerns about economic downturns, credit rating downgrades, rising government debt levels and possible default on, or restructuring of, government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt and economy. These concerns have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including EU member countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries.
The announcement of the Referendum of the United Kingdom’s (the “UK”) Membership of the EU (referred to as Brexit), advising for the exit of the UK from the EU, could cause business disruptions and uncertainty and thus adversely impact the financial results and operations of various European companies and economies. The Referendum is
non-binding, however, if it is passed into law, negotiations would commence to determine the future terms of the UK’s relationship with the EU, including the terms of trade between the UK and the EU. The effects of Brexit will depend on any agreements the UK makes to retain access to EU markets either during a transitional period or more permanently. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Additionally, Brexit could lead to global economic uncertainty and result in significant volatility in the global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations. There is also a risk that other EU member countries will decide to exit the EU as more populist movements take shape across Europe.
Energy Sector Risk The Fund invests in, and/or has exposure to, companies that engage in energy-related businesses and companies primarily involved in the production and mining of coal, development and production of oil, gas and consumable fuels and provide drilling and other energy resources production and distribution related services. As a result, the Fund is subject to risks of legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting the energy sector. The prices of the securities of energy and energy services companies may fluctuate widely due to the supply and demand, exploration and production spending, world events and economic conditions, swift price and supply fluctuations, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities and tax and other governmental regulatory policies and legislation. Weak demand for energy companies’ products or services or for energy products and services in general, as well as negative developments in these other areas, including natural disaster and terrorist attacks, impact energy company securities.
Financials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, financial services companies. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be materially impacted by many factors, including but not limited to, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Profitability of these companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers also can negatively impact the sector. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and recent or future regulation on any individual company or the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.
Utilities Sector Risk Utility companies are affected by supply and demand, operating costs, government regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. Although rate changes of a regulated utility usually fluctuate in approximate correlation with financing costs, due to political and regulatory factors, rate changes ordinarily occur only following a delay after the changes in financing costs. This factor will tend to favorably affect a regulated utility company’s earnings and dividends in times of decreasing
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costs, but conversely, will tend to adversely affect earnings and dividends when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility equity securities may tend to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utilities are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. These opportunities may permit certain utility companies to earn more than their traditional regulated rates of return. Some companies, however, may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. In addition, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, government intervention or other factors may render a utility company’s equipment unusable or obsolete which may negatively impact profitability.
Utility companies may be adversely affected by increases in fuel and other operating costs, high costs of borrowing to finance capital construction during inflationary periods, restrictions on operations and increased costs and delays associated with compliance with environmental and nuclear safety regulations, and difficulties involved in obtaining natural gas for resale or fuel for generating electricity at reasonable prices. Additionally, these companies may be subject to risks related to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, the effects of energy conservation and the effects of regulatory changes.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the
value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a country’s currency and the Fund’s share price. Generally, when the U.S. Dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in that country loses value because that currency is worth fewer U.S. Dollars. Devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority also will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. Additionally, the Fund may invest in a limited number of currencies. As a result, an increase or decrease in the value of any of these currencies would have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and total return than if the Fund held a more diversified number of currencies.
Depositary Receipt Risk To the extent the Fund invests in, and/or has exposure to, foreign companies, the Fund’s investment may be in the form of depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). While the use of ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, which are traded on exchanges and represent ownership in a foreign security, provide an alternative to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their respective national markets and currencies, investments in ADRs, EDRs, and GDRs continue to be subject to certain of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities, such as political and exchange rate risks.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Geographic Concentration Risk Investments in a particular country or geographic region may be particularly susceptible to political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock
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Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s
judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that
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Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the MSCI Italy 25/50 Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of the large- and mid-capitalization segments of the Italian equity market, covering approximately 85% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in Italy. The Index consists of stocks primarily traded on the Milan Stock Exchange. The Index is reviewed and rebalanced quarterly.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 23 constituents which had a median total market capitalization of $14.5 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $5.6 billion to $59.3 billion and were concentrated in the financials, energy and utilities sectors.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular
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industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day
will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
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One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 26.74%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 33.17% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 4.00%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may
not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will
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be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions
are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock
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Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Italian Securities Risk - The Fund’s investment in, and/or exposure to, Italian issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risk specific to Italy. Italy’s economy is dependent upon external trade with other economies, specifically Germany, France, other Western European developed countries and the United States. As a result, Italy is dependent on the economies of these other countries and any change in the price or demand for Italy’s exports may have an adverse impact on its economy. Recently, the Italian economy, along with certain other European economies, has experienced significant volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturn and rising government debt levels. Interest rates on Italy’s debt may rise to levels that may make it difficult for it to service high debt levels without significant financial help from the European Union and could potentially lead to default. These events have adversely impacted the Italian economy, causing credit agencies to lower Italy’s sovereign debt rating and could decrease outside investment in Italian companies.
European Economic Risk - The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including some or all of the European countries in which the Fund invests. The European financial markets experienced volatility and were adversely affected by concerns about economic downturns, credit rating downgrades, rising government debt levels and possible default on, or restructuring of, government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. A default or debt restructuring by any European
country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt and economy. These concerns have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including EU member countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries.
The announcement of the Referendum of the United Kingdom’s (the “UK”) Membership of the EU (referred to as Brexit), advising for the exit of the UK from the EU, could cause business disruptions and uncertainty and thus adversely impact the financial results and operations of various European companies and economies. The Referendum is non-binding, however, if it is passed into law, negotiations would commence to determine the future terms of the UK’s relationship with the EU, including the terms of trade between the UK and the EU. The effects of Brexit will depend on any agreements the UK makes to retain access to EU markets either during a transitional period or more permanently. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Additionally, Brexit could lead to global economic uncertainty and result in significant volatility in the global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations. There is also a risk that other EU member countries will decide to exit the EU as more populist movements take shape across Europe.
Energy Sector Risk The Fund invests in, and/or has exposure to, companies that engage in energy-related businesses and companies primarily involved in the production and mining of coal, development and production of oil, gas and consumable fuels and provide drilling and other energy resources production and distribution related services. As a result, the Fund is subject to risks of legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting the energy sector. The prices of the securities of energy and energy services companies may fluctuate widely due to the supply and demand, exploration and production spending, world events and economic conditions, swift price and supply fluctuations, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities and tax and other governmental regulatory policies and legislation. Weak demand for energy companies’ products or services or for energy products and services in general, as well as negative developments in these other areas, including natural disaster and terrorist attacks, impact energy company securities.
Financials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, financial services companies. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be materially impacted by many factors, including but not limited to, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Profitability of these companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers also can negatively impact the sector. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and recent or future regulation
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on any individual company or the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.
Utilities Sector Risk Utility companies are affected by supply and demand, operating costs, government regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. Although rate changes of a regulated utility usually fluctuate in approximate correlation with financing costs, due to political and regulatory factors, rate changes ordinarily occur only following a delay after the changes in financing costs. This factor will tend to favorably affect a regulated utility company’s earnings and dividends in times of decreasing costs, but conversely, will tend to adversely affect earnings and dividends when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility equity securities may tend to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utilities are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. These opportunities may permit certain utility companies to earn more than their traditional regulated rates of return. Some companies, however, may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. In addition, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, government intervention or other factors may render a utility company’s equipment unusable or obsolete which may negatively impact profitability.
Utility companies may be adversely affected by increases in fuel and other operating costs, high costs of borrowing to finance capital construction during inflationary periods, restrictions on operations and increased costs and delays associated with compliance with environmental and nuclear safety regulations, and difficulties involved in obtaining natural gas for resale or fuel for generating electricity at reasonable prices. Additionally, these companies may be subject to risks related to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, the effects of energy conservation and the effects of regulatory changes.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization
companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a country’s currency and the Fund’s share price. Generally, when the U.S. Dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in that country loses value because that currency is worth fewer U.S. Dollars. Devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority also will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. Additionally, the Fund may invest in a limited number of currencies. As a result, an increase or decrease in the value of any of these currencies would have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and total return than if the Fund held a more diversified number of currencies.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Geographic Concentration Risk Investments in a particular country or geographic region may be particularly susceptible to political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes
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before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may
be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the
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Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the MSCI Mexico IMI 25/50 Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.14%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.10%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.09%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$111 $349
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of the large-, mid- and small-capitalization segments of the Mexican equity market, covering approximately 99% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in Mexico. The Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Mexican Stock Market and is rebalanced quarterly.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 61 constituents which had a median total market capitalization of $1.1 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $68.7 million to $20.1 billion and were concentrated in the consumer staples, materials and financials sectors.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over
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time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over
the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
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One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 20.28%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 26.44% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was -1.86%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may
not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every
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1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed
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on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Mexican Securities Risk - Investment in securities of Mexican issuers involves risks that may be greater than if the Fund’s investments were more geographically diverse. Mexico’s economy is heavily dependent on trading with key partners, including the United States and certain Latin American countries. As a result, Mexico is dependent on, among other things, the U.S. economy and any change in the price or demand for Mexican exports may have an adverse impact on the Mexican economy. Any increases or decreases in the volume of this trading, changes in taxes or tariffs, or variance in political relationships between those nations may impact the Mexican economy overall. Recent political developments in the U.S. have raised potential implications for the current trade arrangements between the U.S. and Mexico, which could negatively impact the Mexican economy.
Mexico has been destabilized by local insurrections, social upheavals, drug related violence, and a public health crisis related to the H1N1 influenza outbreak. Recently, Mexico experienced an outbreak of violence due to drug trafficking. Incidents involving Mexico’s security may have an adverse effect on the Mexican economy and cause uncertainty in its financial markets. Recently, Mexican elections have been contentious and have been very closely decided. Changes in political parties or other Mexican political events may affect the economy and cause instability. Historically, Mexico has experienced substantial economic instability from, among other things, economic volatility, high unemployment rates, periods of very high inflation and significant devaluation of the Mexican currency, the peso.
Emerging Markets Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, emerging markets instruments involves greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Risks of investing in emerging market countries include political or social upheaval, nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets and risks from an economy’s dependence on revenues from particular commodities or industries. In addition, currency transfer restrictions, limited potential buyers for such instruments, delays and disruption in settlement procedures and illiquidity or low volumes of transactions may make exits difficult or impossible at times.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk Consumer staples companies are subject to government regulation affecting their products which may negatively impact such companies’ performance. For instance, government regulations may affect the permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. Also, the success of food, beverages, household and personal product companies may
be strongly affected by changing consumer tastes and/or interest, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting supply and demand, including performance of the overall domestic and global economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence and spending. In particular, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Financials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, financial services companies. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be materially impacted by many factors, including but not limited to, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Profitability of these companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers also can negatively impact the sector. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and recent or future regulation on any individual company or the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.
Materials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the materials sector. Companies in the materials sector could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rate import controls and increased competition. The production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Companies in the materials sector also are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims, and may be materially affected by depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations, and governmental regulations.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Micro-Capitalization Company Risk - Stock prices of micro-cap companies are significantly more volatile, and more vulnerable to adverse business and economic developments than those of larger companies. In addition, micro-cap companies often have limited product lines, narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies, including companies which are considered small- or mid-capitalization. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they
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face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a country’s currency and the Fund’s share price. Generally, when the U.S. Dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in that country loses value because that currency is worth fewer U.S. Dollars. Devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority also will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. Additionally, the Fund may invest in a limited number of currencies. As a result, an increase or decrease in the value of any of these currencies would have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and total return than if the Fund held a more diversified number of currencies.
Depositary Receipt Risk To the extent the Fund invests in, and/or has exposure to, foreign companies, the Fund’s investment may be in the form of depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). While the use of ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, which are traded on exchanges and represent ownership in a foreign security, provide an alternative to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their respective national markets and currencies, investments in ADRs, EDRs, and GDRs continue to be subject to certain of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities, such as political and exchange rate risks.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s
returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Geographic Concentration Risk Investments in a particular country or geographic region may be particularly susceptible to political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the
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possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
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Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the MSCI Mexico IMI 25/50 Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of the large-, mid- and small-capitalization segments of the Mexican equity market, covering approximately 99% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in Mexico. The Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Mexican Stock Market and is rebalanced quarterly.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index was comprised of 61 constituents which had a median total market capitalization of $1.1 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $68.7 million to $20.1 billion and were concentrated in the consumer staples, materials and financials sectors.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular
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industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day
will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
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One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 20.28%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 26.44% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was -1.86%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may
not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will
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be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions
are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock
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Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Mexican Securities Risk - Investment in securities of Mexican issuers involves risks that may be greater than if the Fund’s investments were more geographically diverse. Mexico’s economy is heavily dependent on trading with key partners, including the United States and certain Latin American countries. As a result, Mexico is dependent on, among other things, the U.S. economy and any change in the price or demand for Mexican exports may have an adverse impact on the Mexican economy. Any increases or decreases in the volume of this trading, changes in taxes or tariffs, or variance in political relationships between those nations may impact the Mexican economy overall. Recent political developments in the U.S. have raised potential implications for the current trade arrangements between the U.S. and Mexico, which could negatively impact the Mexican economy.
Mexico has been destabilized by local insurrections, social upheavals, drug related violence, and a public health crisis related to the H1N1 influenza outbreak. Recently, Mexico experienced an outbreak of violence due to drug trafficking. Incidents involving Mexico’s security may have an adverse effect on the Mexican economy and cause uncertainty in its financial markets. Recently, Mexican elections have been contentious and have been very closely decided. Changes in political parties or other Mexican political events may affect the economy and cause instability. Historically, Mexico has experienced substantial economic instability from, among other things, economic volatility, high unemployment rates, periods of very high inflation and significant devaluation of the Mexican currency, the peso.
Emerging Markets Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, emerging markets instruments involves greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Risks of investing in emerging market countries include political or social upheaval, nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets and risks from an economy’s dependence on revenues from particular commodities or industries. In addition,
currency transfer restrictions, limited potential buyers for such instruments, delays and disruption in settlement procedures and illiquidity or low volumes of transactions may make exits difficult or impossible at times.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk Consumer staples companies are subject to government regulation affecting their products which may negatively impact such companies’ performance. For instance, government regulations may affect the permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. Also, the success of food, beverages, household and personal product companies may be strongly affected by changing consumer tastes and/or interest, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting supply and demand, including performance of the overall domestic and global economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence and spending. In particular, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Financials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, financial services companies. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be materially impacted by many factors, including but not limited to, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Profitability of these companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers also can negatively impact the sector. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and recent or future regulation on any individual company or the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.
Materials Sector Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of companies in the materials sector. Companies in the materials sector could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rate import controls and increased competition. The production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Companies in the materials sector also are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims, and may be materially affected by depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations, and governmental regulations.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the
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performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Micro-Capitalization Company Risk - Stock prices of micro-cap companies are significantly more volatile, and more vulnerable to adverse business and economic developments than those of larger companies. In addition, micro-cap companies often have limited product lines, narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies, including companies which are considered small- or mid-capitalization. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, the securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, and securities that provide exposure to small- and/or mid-capitalization companies, involves greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in more-established, larger-capitalization companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a country’s currency and the Fund’s share price. Generally, when the U.S. Dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in that country loses value because that currency is worth fewer U.S. Dollars. Devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority also will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. Additionally, the Fund may invest in a limited number of currencies. As a result, an increase or decrease in the value of any of these currencies would have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and total return than if the Fund held a more diversified number of currencies.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other
countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Geographic Concentration Risk Investments in a particular country or geographic region may be particularly susceptible to political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio
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turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
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Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the EURO STOXX 50® Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.09%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.05%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.04%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$106 $333
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is part of the STOXX blue-chip index family and represents the performance of the 50 largest companies among the 19 supersectors in terms of free-float market capitalization in 11 Eurozone countries. These countries have historically included Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. The Index captures approximately 60% of the free-float market capitalization of the EURO STOXX TMI Supersector Index. The largest stocks from the 19 EURO STOXX Supersector indices are added to the selection list for the Index until the coverage that equals approximately 60% of the free-float market capitalization of each corresponding EURO STOXX TMI Supersector Index. In addition, any stocks that are current components of the
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Index are added to the selection list. From the selection list, the 40 largest stocks in terms of free-float market capitalization are selected to be components of the Index. The remaining 10 stocks are selected from the largest remaining stocks ranked 41-60 on the selection list. If there are still less than 50 components stocks, then the largest remaining stocks on the selection list are selected until there are 50 stocks in the Index.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index consisted of 50 components that had a median total market capitalization of $44.7 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $14.1 billion to $214.1 billion and were concentrated in the banking sector.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not
traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios
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where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 21.43%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 26.77% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 5.99%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track
the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index
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will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser
at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s
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performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
European Economic Risk - The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including some or all of the European countries in which the Fund invests. The European financial markets experienced volatility and were adversely affected by concerns about economic downturns, credit rating downgrades, rising government debt levels and possible default on, or restructuring of, government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt and economy. These concerns have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including EU member countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries.
The announcement of the Referendum of the United Kingdom’s (the “UK”) Membership of the EU (referred to as Brexit), advising for the exit of the UK from the EU, could cause business disruptions and uncertainty and thus adversely impact the financial results and operations of various European companies and economies. The Referendum is non-binding, however, if it is passed into law, negotiations would commence to determine the future terms of the UK’s relationship with the EU, including the terms of trade between the UK and the EU. The effects of Brexit will depend on any agreements the UK makes to retain access to EU markets either during a transitional period or more permanently. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Additionally, Brexit could lead to global economic uncertainty and result in significant volatility in the global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations. There is also a risk that other EU member countries will decide to exit the EU as more populist movements take shape across Europe.
Banking Industry Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the banking industry. Companies within the banking industry can be significantly affected by extensive
governmental regulation, which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make and the interest rates and fees they can charge and amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively impact the sector. Banks may also be subject to severe price competition. These risks can be exacerbated if a particular region in which a bank operates experiences economic decline. The regional banking industry is highly competitive and thus, failure to maintain or increase market share may result in regional bank failures or mergers with larger, or multi-national banks.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a country’s currency and the Fund’s share price. Generally, when the U.S. Dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in that country loses value because that currency is worth fewer U.S. Dollars. Devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority also will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. Additionally, the Fund may invest in a limited number of currencies. As a result, an increase or decrease in the value of any of these currencies would have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and total return than if the Fund held a more diversified number of currencies.
Depositary Receipt Risk To the extent the Fund invests in, and/or has exposure to, foreign companies, the Fund’s investment may be in the form of depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). While the use of ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, which are traded on exchanges and represent ownership in a foreign security, provide an alternative to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their respective national markets and currencies, investments in ADRs, EDRs, and GDRs continue to be subject to certain of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities, such as political and exchange rate risks.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree
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by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Geographic Concentration Risk Investments in a particular country or geographic region may be particularly susceptible to political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains
(which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
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Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at
www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50© Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50© Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the EURO STOXX 50® Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is part of the STOXX blue-chip index family and represents the performance of the 50 largest companies among the 19 supersectors in terms of free-float market capitalization in 11 Eurozone countries. These countries have historically included Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. The Index captures approximately 60% of the free-float market capitalization of the EURO STOXX TMI Supersector Index. The largest stocks from the 19 EURO STOXX Supersector indices are added to the selection list for the Index until the coverage that equals approximately 60% of the free-float market capitalization of each corresponding EURO STOXX TMI Supersector Index. In addition, any stocks that are current components of the Index are added to the selection list. From the selection
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list, the 40 largest stocks in terms of free-float market capitalization are selected to be components of the Index. The remaining 10 stocks are selected from the largest remaining stocks ranked 41-60 on the selection list. If there are still less than 50 components stocks, then the largest remaining stocks on the selection list are selected until there are 50 stocks in the Index.
As of December 30, 2016, the Index consisted of 50 components that had a median total market capitalization of $44.7 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $14.1 billion to $214.1 billion and were concentrated in the banking sector.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money
invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios
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where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 21.43%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 26.77% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 5.99%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track
the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize
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leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment
strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because
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foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
European Economic Risk - The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including some or all of the European countries in which the Fund invests. The European financial markets experienced volatility and were adversely affected by concerns about economic downturns, credit rating downgrades, rising government debt levels and possible default on, or restructuring of, government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt and economy. These concerns have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including EU member countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries.
The announcement of the Referendum of the United Kingdom’s (the “UK”) Membership of the EU (referred to as Brexit), advising for the exit of the UK from the EU, could cause business disruptions and uncertainty and thus adversely impact the financial results and operations of various European companies and economies. The Referendum is non-binding, however, if it is passed into law, negotiations would commence to determine the future terms of the UK’s relationship with the EU, including the terms of trade between the UK and the EU. The effects of Brexit will depend on any agreements the UK makes to retain access to EU markets either during a transitional period or more permanently.
Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Additionally, Brexit could lead to global economic uncertainty and result in significant volatility in the global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations. There is also a risk that other EU member countries will decide to exit the EU as more populist movements take shape across Europe.
Banking Industry Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the banking industry. Companies within the banking industry can be significantly affected by extensive governmental regulation, which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make and the interest rates and fees they can charge and amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively impact the sector. Banks may also be subject to severe price competition. These risks can be exacerbated if a particular region in which a bank operates experiences economic decline. The regional banking industry is highly competitive and thus, failure to maintain or increase market share may result in regional bank failures or mergers with larger, or multi-national banks.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a country’s currency and the Fund’s share price. Generally, when the U.S. Dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in that country loses value because that currency is worth fewer U.S. Dollars. Devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority also will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. Additionally, the Fund may invest in a limited number of currencies. As a result, an increase or decrease in the value of any of these currencies would have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and total return than if the Fund held a more diversified number of currencies.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial
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reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Geographic Concentration Risk Investments in a particular country or geographic region may be particularly susceptible to political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk Investments in, and/or exposure to, publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments
or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
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Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website
at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.12%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.08%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.07%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).
  Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$109 $342
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index is a U.S. Dollar-denominated emerging markets debt index that tracks the total return performance of actively- traded external debt instruments in emerging market countries. An emerging market country’s external debt is the total debt owed to foreign creditors, such as to banks, foreign governments, or international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank. In contrast, the internal debt is owed to domestic creditors. The Index limits the weights of countries with higher outstanding debt and increases the weights of countries with lower outstanding debt.
The Index includes both fixed-rate and floating-rate instruments issued by sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities
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from Index-eligible countries. Quasi-sovereign entities are entities whose securities are either 100% owned by their respective governments or subject to a 100% guarantee that does not rise to the level of constituting the full faith and credit of such governments. Only those instruments which: (i) are denominated in U.S. Dollars; (ii) have a current face amount outstanding of $1 billion or more; (iii) have at least two years until maturity; (iv) are able to settle internationally through Euroclear or another institution domiciled outside the issuing country; and (v) have bid and offer prices that are available on a daily and timely basis, are considered for inclusion in the Index. As of March 31, 2017, the Index consisted of both investment-grade and non-investment-grade bonds (also known as “junk bonds”). Convertible bonds are not eligible for inclusion in the Index. The Index is rebalanced monthly on the last business day of the month.
As of March 31, 2017, the Index included 412 constituents from the following 54 countries: Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vietnam, and Zambia and the Index’s five highest weighted countries were Mexico, Indonesia, Russia, Turkey and Brazil.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund
should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 188

 

respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from January 20, 2017 (the inception date of the Index) to Mach 31, 2017 was 3.15%. The Index’s annualized performance for the period from January 20, 2017 to Mach 31, 2017 was 5.00%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those
associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically
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  exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Due to the Index including foreign securities, the Fund's return may vary from a multiple of the performance of the Index because foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The
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Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Debt Instrument Risk The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration. Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Credit Risk The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or
unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s value and thus have an impact on Fund net asset value and performance.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk - The Fund will invest in, and/or have exposure to, assets in securities rated below investment grade, otherwise known as “junk bonds.” Investments in junk bonds generally involve significantly greater risks of loss of your money than an investment in investment-grade bonds. Compared with issuers of investment-grade bonds, junk bonds are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and to be materially affected by these difficulties. As a result, junk bonds may be sensitive to economic changes, political changes, or adverse developments specific to a company. These securities generally involve greater risk of default or price changes than other types of fixed-income securities and the Fund’s performance may vary significantly as a result.
Prepayment Risk - Many types of debt securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the security will repay principal prior to the maturity date. Securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. As a result, the Fund may have to reinvest its assets in other debt securities that have lower yields.
Interest Rate Risk Debt instruments have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt instrument or security will fall when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates fall. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically-low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Changes or volatility in interest rates may materially affect the performance of the Fund. The effect of increased interest rates is more pronounced for any intermediate-term or longer-term fixed income obligations. Recent events in the fixed-income market may expose the Fund to heightened interest rate risk and volatility.
Emerging Markets Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, emerging markets instruments involves greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Risks of investing in emerging market countries include political or social upheaval, nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets and risks from an economy’s dependence on revenues from particular commodities or industries. In addition, currency transfer restrictions, limited potential buyers for such instruments, delays and disruption in settlement procedures and illiquidity or low volumes of transactions may make exits difficult or impossible at times.
Frontier Markets Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, frontier markets involves greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid and as a result, may
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be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed and traditional emerging markets. Investments in frontier markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed and traditional emerging markets. Frontier markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuations and greater risk associated with custody of securities. Economic, political, liquidity and currency risks are more pronounced with respect to investments in frontier markets than in emerging markets.
Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, uncollateralized bonds issued by agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities of foreign governments. Bonds issued by these foreign government agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities are generally only backed by the creditworthiness and reputation of the entities issuing the bonds and may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the foreign government. Moreover, a foreign government that explicitly provides its full faith and credit to a particular entity may be, due to changed circumstances, unable or unwilling to actually provide that support. If a non-U.S. agency is unable to meet its obligations, the Fund will be materially impacted. A non-U.S. agency’s operations and financial condition are influenced by the foreign government’s economic and other policies. Changes to the financial condition or the credit rating of a foreign government may cause the value of debt issued by that particular foreign government’s agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the trading of non-U.S. agency bonds may be less liquid and market prices may be more volatile than prices of U.S. agency bonds. Additional risks associated with non-U.S. agency investing include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, adverse changes in investment or change of control regulations, political instability, which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with, or backed by, a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt obligation, including U.S. Treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect the Fund.
Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria
on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
Foreign Securities Risk Investing in, and/or having exposure to, foreign instruments may involve greater risks than investing in domestic instruments. As a result, the Fund’s returns and net asset value may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the U.S., and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk Because the Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, investments that may be traded in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. Additionally, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or includes securities from a market that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of its index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income
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when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
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Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Bloomberg Barclays US High Yield Very Liquid Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.15%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.11%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.10%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
  with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$112 $352
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index measures the performance of publicly issued U.S. Dollar-denominated, non-investment grade or high-yield, fixed-rate, taxable corporate bonds, also known as “junk bonds.” The Index includes bonds that have a remaining maturity of at least one year, regardless of optionality, are rated high-yield (Ba1/BB+/BB+ or below) using the middle rating of Moody’s, Fitch or Standard & Poor’s, respectively, and have $500 million or more of outstanding face value. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a bond must have been issued within the past five years. The three largest bonds of each issuer, based on amount outstanding, may be included in the Index and the exposure to each eligible issuer will be capped at 2% of the Index. In addition, securities must be registered, exempt from registration at the time
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of issuance, or issued under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Index is updated monthly. As of December 30, 2016 the Index consisted of 776 constituents.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks
listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
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One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 4.64%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 6.29% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 6.76%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may
not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every
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1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value
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of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk - The Fund will invest in, and/or have exposure to, assets in securities rated below investment grade, otherwise known as “junk bonds.” Investments in junk bonds generally involve significantly greater risks of loss of your money than an investment in investment-grade bonds. Compared with issuers of investment-grade bonds, junk bonds are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and to be materially affected by these difficulties. As a result, junk bonds may be sensitive to economic changes, political changes, or adverse developments specific to a company. These securities generally involve greater risk of default or price changes than other types of fixed-income securities and the Fund’s performance may vary significantly as a result.
Debt Instrument Risk The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration. Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Credit Risk The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s value and thus have an impact on Fund net asset value and performance.
Prepayment Risk - Many types of debt securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the security will repay principal prior to the maturity date. Securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. As a result, the Fund
may have to reinvest its assets in other debt securities that have lower yields.
Interest Rate Risk Debt instruments have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt instrument or security will fall when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates fall. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically-low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Changes or volatility in interest rates may materially affect the performance of the Fund. The effect of increased interest rates is more pronounced for any intermediate-term or longer-term fixed income obligations. Recent events in the fixed-income market may expose the Fund to heightened interest rate risk and volatility.
Valuation Time Risk The Fund values its portfolio as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). In some cases, foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund. As a result, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or an index that includes securities from a market that closes earlier or later than the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of that index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative
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instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
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Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Bloomberg Barclays US High Yield Very Liquid Index (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index measures the performance of publicly issued U.S. Dollar-denominated, non-investment grade or high-yield, fixed-rate, taxable corporate bonds, also known as “junk bonds.” The Index includes bonds that have a remaining maturity of at least one year, regardless of optionality, are rated high-yield (Ba1/BB+/BB+ or below) using the middle rating of Moody’s, Fitch or Standard & Poor’s, respectively, and have $500 million or more of outstanding face value. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a bond must have been issued within the past five years. The three largest bonds of each issuer, based on amount outstanding, may be included in the Index and the exposure to each eligible issuer will be capped at 2% of the Index. In addition, securities must be registered, exempt from registration at the time of issuance, or issued under Rule 144A of the Securities Act
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of 1933, as amended. The Index is updated monthly. As of December 30, 2016 the Index consisted of 776 constituents.
The components of the Index and the percentages represented by various sectors in the Index may change over time. The Fund will concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets in investments that provide inverse exposure to a particular industry or group of industries) to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all
of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
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One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 4.64%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 6.29% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 6.76%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may
not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will
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be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions
are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of
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derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk - The Fund will invest in, and/or have exposure to, assets in securities rated below investment grade, otherwise known as “junk bonds.” Investments in junk bonds generally involve significantly greater risks of loss of your money than an investment in investment-grade bonds. Compared with issuers of investment-grade bonds, junk bonds are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and to be materially affected by these difficulties. As a result, junk bonds may be sensitive to economic changes, political changes, or adverse developments specific to a company. These securities generally involve greater risk of default or price changes than other types of fixed-income securities and the Fund’s performance may vary significantly as a result.
Debt Instrument Risk The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration. Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Credit Risk The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s
value and thus have an impact on Fund net asset value and performance.
Prepayment Risk - Many types of debt securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the security will repay principal prior to the maturity date. Securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. As a result, the Fund may have to reinvest its assets in other debt securities that have lower yields.
Interest Rate Risk Debt instruments have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt instrument or security will fall when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates fall. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically-low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Changes or volatility in interest rates may materially affect the performance of the Fund. The effect of increased interest rates is more pronounced for any intermediate-term or longer-term fixed income obligations. Recent events in the fixed-income market may expose the Fund to heightened interest rate risk and volatility.
Valuation Time Risk The Fund values its portfolio as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). In some cases, foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund. As a result, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or an index that includes securities from a market that closes earlier or later than the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of that index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption
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activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
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Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation-Linked Bond Index (Series L) (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be 300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.07%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.03%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 1.02%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$104 $327
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in financial instruments that provide daily leveraged exposure to the Index and/or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that track the Index. The financial instruments in which the Fund normally invests include swap agreements and futures contracts which are intended to produce economically leveraged investment results. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index measures the performance of the inflation-protected public obligations of the U.S. Treasury, commonly known as “TIPS.” TIPS are securities issued by the U.S. Treasury that are designed to provide inflation protection to investors. TIPS are income-generating instruments whose interest and principal payments are adjusted for inflation. Inflation is a sustained increase in prices that erodes the purchasing power of money. The inflation adjustments, which are typically applied monthly to the principal of the bond, follows a designated index, the consumer price index (“CPI”), and TIPS’ principal payments are adjusted according to changes
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in the CPI. A fixed coupon rate is applied to the inflation-adjusted principal so that as inflation rises, both the principal value and the interest payments increase. This can provide investors with a hedge against inflation, as it helps preserve the purchasing power of an investment. Because of this inflation adjustment feature, inflation-protected bonds typically have lower yields than conventional fixed-rate bonds.
The Index includes all publicly-issued US. Treasury inflation-protected securities that have at least one year remaining to maturity, are rated investment-grade and have $250 million or more outstanding face value. In addition, the securities in the Index must be denominated in U.S. Dollars and must be fixed-rate and non-convertible. The index is market-capitalization-weighted and is updated on the last calendar day of each month.
The Fund may invest in the securities of the Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, or utilize derivatives such as swaps on the Index, swaps on an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index as the Fund, or futures contracts that provide leveraged exposure to the above. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Certain of the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective.
At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy typically results in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance increases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its leveraged investment objective and there is a
risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than 300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from 300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 95% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than 300% of the performance
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of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than 300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 5.21%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 5.95% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 0.93%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize
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leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index decline of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a decline in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its leveraged investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since a Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is 300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek $300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index rose by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will have risen by 1% to $303 and the net assets will have risen by that $3 gain to $103.
With net assets of $103 and exposure of $303 , a purchaser at that point would be receiving 294% exposure of her investment instead of 300%.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transactions costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s correlation to the Index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk— The Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, the Fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of the Fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting the Fund’s performance and its correlation with the Index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount
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or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of shares of a closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Deflation Risk - In a period of sustained deflation, the inflation-indexed securities held by the Fund may not pay any income. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-indexed securities it issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee.
U.S. Government Securities Risk A security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States is guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. The market prices for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate. In addition, because many types of U.S. government securities trade actively outside the United States, their prices may rise and fall as changes in global economic conditions affect the demand for these securities.
Debt Instrument Risk The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration. Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Credit Risk The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s value and thus have an impact on Fund net asset value and performance.
Interest Rate Risk Debt instruments have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt instrument or security will fall when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates fall. Because the Fund invests in intermediate-term bonds, the effects of increasing
interest rates may be more pronounced than for investment in short-term bonds. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically-low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Changes or volatility in interest rates may materially affect the performance of the Fund. The effect of increased interest rates is more pronounced for any intermediate-term or longer-term fixed income obligations. Recent events in the fixed-income market may expose the Fund to heightened interest rate risk and volatility.
Valuation Time Risk The Fund values its portfolio as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). In some cases, foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund. As a result, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or an index that includes securities from a market that closes earlier or later than the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of that index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
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agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net
asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares only to Authorized Participants in exchange for the cash or a deposit or delivery of a basket of assets (securities and/or cash) in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares.
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Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares
Important Information Regarding the Fund
The Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares (the “Fund”) seeks daily inverse leveraged investment results and is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund’s objective is to magnify the daily performance of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation-Linked Bond Index (Series L) (the “Index”). This means that the return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index for that period. As a consequence, longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Index and greater leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a trading day will not be -300% of the performance of the Index for the trading day.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and shorting and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily performance of the Index. The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period of time different than a trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market may pay costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses of the Fund(1) 0.21%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.98%
Expense Cap/Reimbursement(2) -0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Cap/Reimbursement 0.97%
(1) Estimated for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(2) Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty” or the “Adviser”) has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund. Under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).  
    Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by the Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Example - This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years
$99 $311
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests in swap agreements, futures contracts, short positions or other financial instruments that, in combination, provide inverse (opposite) or short leveraged exposure to the Index equal to at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes). On a day-to-day basis, the Fund is expected to hold money market funds and/or short-term debt instruments that have terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements.
The Index measures the performance of the inflation-protected public obligations of the U.S. Treasury, commonly known as “TIPS.” TIPS are securities issued by the U.S. Treasury that are designed to provide inflation protection to investors. TIPS are income-generating instruments whose interest and principal payments are adjusted for inflation. Inflation is a sustained increase in prices that erodes the purchasing power of money. The inflation adjustments, which are typically applied monthly to the principal of the bond, follows a designated index, the consumer price index (“CPI”), and TIPS’ principal payments are adjusted according to changes in the CPI. A fixed coupon rate is applied to the inflation-adjusted principal so that as inflation rises, both the principal value and the interest payments increase. This can provide
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investors with a hedge against inflation, as it helps preserve the purchasing power of an investment. Because of this inflation adjustment feature, inflation-protected bonds typically have lower yields than conventional fixed-rate bonds.
The Index includes all publicly-issued US. Treasury inflation-protected securities that have at least one year remaining to maturity, are rated investment-grade and have $250 million or more outstanding face value. In addition, the securities in the Index must be denominated in U.S. Dollars and must be fixed-rate and non-convertible. The index is market-capitalization-weighted and is updated on the last calendar day of each month.
The Fund may gain inverse leveraged exposure by investing in a combination of financial instruments, such as swaps or futures contracts that provide short exposure to the Index or a representative sample of the securities in the Index that have aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index or to an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index, or the Fund may short securities of the Index, short an ETF that tracks the same Index or a substantially similar index. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund invests in derivatives as a substitute for directly shorting securities in order to gain inverse leveraged exposure to the Index or its components. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated inverse leveraged investment objective.
The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times consistent with its stated investment objective. At the close of the markets each trading day, Rafferty positions the Fund’s portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with the Fund’s inverse leveraged investment objective. The impact of the Index’s movements during the day will affect whether the Fund’s portfolio needs to be re-positioned. For example, if the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise, meaning that the Fund’s exposure will need to be increased. Conversely, if the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall, meaning the Fund’s exposure will need to be reduced. This re-positioning strategy may result in high portfolio turnover. The terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -300% of the return of the Index over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Index performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Index’s volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Index's performance decreases.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your money
invested in the Fund. In addition, the Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand how these risks interrelate before making an investment in the Fund.
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk- The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than -300% of the Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from -300% of the performance of the Index. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as Index volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Index during the holding period of an investment in the Fund. If adverse daily performance of the Index reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Index increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase correspondingly.
The chart below provides examples of how Index volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) Index volatility; b) Index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with inverse leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to securities in the Index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors Index volatility and Index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in the Index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain inverse leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown. As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the Index provided no return over a one year period during which the Index experienced annualized volatility of 25%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value in the Fund, even if the Index’s return is flat. For instance, if the Index’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 100% of its value, even if the cumulative Index return for the year was 0%. Areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than -300% of the performance of the Index and those shaded green represent those scenarios
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where the Fund can be expected to return more than -300% of the performance of the Index.
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The Index’s annualized historical volatility rate for the five year period ended December 31, 2016 was 5.21%. The Index’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during the five-year period was 5.95% and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Index’s annualized performance for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016 was 0.93%. Historical Index volatility and performance are not indications of what the Index volatility and performance will be in the future. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the Index, such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of the Index.
For information regarding the effects of volatility and Index performance on the long-term performance of the Fund, see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly shorting securities or other investments, including risk related to leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly shorting securities. Investments in such derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time and may increase the volatility of the Fund. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund may use a combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track
the performance of the same, or a substantially similar index to achieve its investment objective. The underlying ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that the Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as a reference asset, the Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of inverse correlation with the Index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the Index as the reference asset. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index or an ETF that seeks to track an index. Swaps are subject to counterparty, valuation and leveraging risks.
  If the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its inverse leveraged investment objective, even if the Index reverses all of a portion of its movement.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction due to an illiquid market. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Adviser, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its inverse leveraged investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Leverage Risk The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize
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leverage. If you invest in the Fund, you are exposed to the risk that a rise in the daily performance of the Index will be leveraged. This means that your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily rise in the Index, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Index rise of more than 33%. Further, purchasing shares during a day may result in greater than -300% exposure to the performance of the Index if there is a rise in the Index between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund’s correlation with the Index.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in the Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties. The use of financial instruments, such as swap agreements, involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund is thus exposed to the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. The Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its inverse leveraged investment objective.
Shorting Risk - Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. In order to achieve its daily inverse investment objective, the Fund may engage in short sales, which are designed to provide the Fund gains when the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index declines. When the Fund shorts securities, including securities of another investment company, it borrows shares of that security or investment company, which it then sells. The Fund closes out a short sale by purchasing the security that it has sold short and returning that security to the entity that lent the security. The Fund may also seek inverse or “short” exposure through the use of derivatives such as swap agreements or futures contracts, which may expose the Fund to certain risks such as an increase in volatility or decrease in the liquidity of the securities of the underlying short position. If the Fund were to experience this volatility or decreased liquidity, the Fund’s return may be lower, the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through the use of derivatives may be limited or the Fund may be required to obtain inverse exposure through alternative investment
strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. If the securities underlying the short positions are thinly traded or have a limited market due to various factors, including regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional creation units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through the use of derivatives or other financial instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique.
Cash Transaction Risk - Unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by the Fund. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in conventional ETFs and may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk - The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Index at the market close on the first trading day and the value of the Index at the time of purchase. If the Index loses value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Index rises, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Since the Fund starts each trading day with exposure which is -300% of its net assets, a change in both the exposure and the net assets of the Fund by the same absolute amount results in a change in the comparative relationship of the two. As an example (using simplified numbers), if the Fund had $100 in net assets at the market close, it would seek -$300 of exposure to the next trading day’s Index performance. If the Index declined by 1% by noon the following trading day, the exposure of the Fund will fall by 1% to -$297 and the net assets will rise by $3 to $103. With net assets of $103 and exposure of -$297, a purchaser at that point would be receiving -288% exposure of her investment instead of -300%.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to the Index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the Index, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the Index is impacted dynamically by the Index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Fund will be perfectly exposed to the Index at the end of each day. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Index increases on days when the Index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels.
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The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the Index. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Index. Activities surrounding periodic Index reconstitutions and other Index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s inverse correlation to the Index.
Deflation Risk - In a period of sustained deflation, the inflation-indexed securities held by the Fund may not pay any income. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-indexed securities it issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee.
U.S. Government Securities Risk A security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States is guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. The market prices for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate. In addition, because many types of U.S. government securities trade actively outside the United States, their prices may rise and fall as changes in global economic conditions affect the demand for these securities.
Debt Instrument Risk The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration. Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Credit Risk The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s value and thus have an impact on Fund net asset value and performance.
Interest Rate Risk Debt instruments have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt instrument or security will fall when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates fall. Because the Fund invests in intermediate-term bonds, the effects of increasing interest rates may be more pronounced than for investment in short-term bonds. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically-low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Changes or volatility in interest rates may materially affect the performance of the Fund. The effect of increased interest rates is more pronounced for any intermediate-term or longer-term fixed income obligations. Recent events in the fixed-income market may expose the Fund to heightened interest rate risk and volatility.
Valuation Time Risk The Fund values its portfolio as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). In some cases, foreign markets may close before the New York Stock Exchange opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as the Fund. As a result, the performance of a fund that tracks an index that closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange or an index that includes securities from a market that closes earlier or later than the New York Stock Exchange can vary from the performance of that index.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk The Fund uses investment techniques that may be considered aggressive and may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions
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resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk Some securities held by the Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, the Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index, thus materially affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk The Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its Shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, which means it invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A non-diversified fund’s net asset value and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.
Regulatory Risk The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the
way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at a discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at net asset value. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at net asset value. The Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the net asset value vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily net asset value of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the exchange on which they trade, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
Fund Performance
No prior investment performance is provided for the Fund because it had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. Upon commencement of operations, updated performance will be available on the Fund’s website at www.direxioninvestments.com/etfs?producttab=performance or by calling the Fund toll-free at 866-476-7523.
Management
Investment Adviser. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
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Portfolio Managers. The following members of Rafferty’s investment team are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Portfolio Managers Years of Service with the Fund Primary Title
Paul Brigandi Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Tony Ng Since Inception Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable. The Fund will issue and redeem Shares for cash only to Authorized Participants in large blocks, known as creation units, each of which is comprised of 50,000 Shares. Retail investors may only purchase and sell Shares on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may incur brokerage costs. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, Shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. Those distributions will be subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions or investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of most other ETFs.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or its Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Overview of the Funds
The Direxion Shares ETF Trust (“Trust”) is a registered investment company offering a number of separate exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). This Prospectus describes the ETFs noted in the table below (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”). Rafferty Asset Management, LLC serves as the investment adviser to each Fund (“Rafferty” or “Adviser”).
The Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares, Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares, Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares, Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares and the Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares are collectively referred to as the "Fixed Income Funds."
The Funds with the word “Bull” in their name (collectively, the “Bull Funds”), attempt to provide investment results that correlate positively to the return of an underlying index, meaning the Bull Funds attempt to move in the same direction as the underlying index. The Funds with the word “Bear” in their name (collectively, the “Bear Funds”), attempt to provide investment results that correlate negatively to the return of an underlying index, meaning that the Bear Funds attempt to move in the opposite or inverse direction of the underlying index. As used in this Prospectus, the terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” refer to the period from the close of the markets on one trading day to the close of the markets on the next trading day.
The Bull Funds seek daily leveraged investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of an underlying index. The Bear Funds seek daily inverse leveraged investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse of the performance of an underlying index. For example, the daily leveraged investment objective for the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares is 300% of the daily total return of the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index, while the daily inverse leveraged investment objective for the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares is 300% of the inverse, or opposite, of the daily total return of the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index. If, on a given day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index gains 1%, the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares is designed to gain approximately 3% (which is equal to 300% of 1%), while the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares is designed to lose approximately 3%. Conversely, if the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index loses 1% on a given day, the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares is designed to lose approximately 3%, while the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares is designed to gain approximately 3% (which is equal to -300% of the 1% index loss). Each Fund tracks an underlying index as noted below:
Fund Index Daily
Leveraged
Investment
Objective
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares Dow Jones Industrial Average Index 300%
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index 300%
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index 300%
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares Consumer Staples Select Sector Index 300%
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares Industrials Select Sector Index 300%
Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares S&P Metals & Mining Select Industry Index 300%
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares Dynamic Pharmaceutical Intellidex Index 300%
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares Dow Jones Transportation Average Index 300%
Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares Utilities Select Sector Index 300%
Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares MSCI Canada Index 300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares -300%
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Fund Index Daily
Leveraged
Investment
Objective
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares MSCI Italy 25/50 Index 300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares MSCI Mexico IMI 25/50 Index 300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares EURO STOXX 50® Index 300%
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index 300%
Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares Bloomberg Barclays US High Yield Very Liquid Index 300%
Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury
Inflation-Linked Bond Index (Series L)
300%
Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares -300%
Shares of the Funds (“Shares”) are, or upon commencement of operations will be, listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”). When Shares are listed and traded on the Exchange, the market prices for the Shares may be different from the intra-day value of the Shares disseminated by the Exchange and from their net asset value (“NAV”). Unlike conventional mutual funds, Shares are not individually redeemable securities. Rather, each Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis at NAV only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.” A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares. Creation Units of the Bull Funds are issued and redeemed in cash and/or in-kind for securities included in the relevant underlying index. Creation Units of the Bear Funds are issued and redeemed for cash.
Shares may only be purchased from, or redeemed with, each Fund in Creation Units. As a result, retail investors generally will not be able to purchase or redeem Shares directly from, or with, each Fund. Most retail investors will purchase or sell Shares in the secondary market with the assistance of a broker. Thus, some of the information contained in this Prospectus, such as information about purchasing and redeeming Shares from, or with, a Fund and all references to the transaction fee imposed on purchases and redemptions, is not relevant to retail investors.
To pursue each Fund’s investment objective, each Fund uses aggressive investment techniques such as engaging in futures, swaps and options transactions. As a result, each Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged and daily inverse leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the Funds' use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. Additionally, the Bear Funds are designed to be utilized by knowledgeable investors who understand the risks of shorting. Each Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
Changes in Investment Objective. Each Fund’s investment objective is not a fundamental policy and may be changed by the Funds' Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.
Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies
Rafferty uses a number of investment techniques in an effort to achieve the stated investment objective for each Fund. Each Fund seeks 300% or -300% of the return of its underlying index on a given day.
For the Bull Funds, Rafferty attempts to provide three times the returns of its underlying index for a one-day period. Each Bear Fund is managed to provide three times the inverse (or opposite) of the return of its underlying index for a one-day period. To do this, Rafferty creates net “long” positions for the Bull Funds and net “short” positions for the Bear Funds. (Rafferty may create short positions in the Bull Funds and long positions in the Bear Funds even though the net exposure in the Bull Funds will be long and the net exposure in the Bear Funds will be short.) Long positions move in the same direction as its underlying index, advancing when the underlying index advances and declining when the underlying index declines. Short positions move in the opposite direction of the underlying index, advancing when the underlying index declines and declining when the underlying index advances. Additionally, none of the Funds seek income that is exempt from federal, state or local income taxes.
In seeking to achieve each Fund’s investment objective, Rafferty uses statistical and quantitative analysis to determine the investments each Fund makes and the techniques it employs. Rafferty relies upon a pre-determined model to generate orders that result in repositioning each Fund’s investments in accordance with its daily leveraged investment objective.
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Using this approach, Rafferty determines the type, quantity and mix of investment positions that it believes in combination should produce daily returns consistent with a Fund’s investment objective. In general, if a Fund is performing as designed, the return of the underlying index will dictate the return for that Fund. Each Fund generally pursues its investment objective regardless of the market conditions and does not take defensive positions.
Each Fund has a clearly articulated daily leveraged investment objective which requires the Fund to seek economic exposure in excess of its net assets (i.e., net assets plus borrowing for investment purposes). To meet its objectives, each Fund invests in some combination of financial instruments so that it generates economic exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective.
Each Fund offered in this Prospectus may invest significantly in: futures contracts; options on securities, indices and futures contracts; equity caps, floors and collars; swap agreements; forward contracts; short positions; reverse repurchase agreements; ETFs; and other financial instruments. In addition, Rafferty uses these types of investments for the Funds to produce economically “leveraged” investment results. Leveraging allows Rafferty to generate a greater positive or negative return for the Funds than what would be generated on the invested capital without leverage, thus changing small market movements into larger changes in the value of the investments of a Fund.
The Bull Funds generally may hold a representative sample of the securities in the underlying index. The sampling of securities that is held by a Bull Fund is intended to maintain high correlation with, and similar aggregate characteristics (e.g., market capitalization and industry weightings) to, the underlying index. A Bull Fund also may invest in securities that are not included in its underlying index or may overweight or underweight certain components of the underlying index. Certain Fund assets may be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent that a Fund's underlying index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. In addition, each Fund offered in this Prospectus is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in the securities of a limited number of issuers.
At the close of the markets each trading day, each Fund will position its portfolio to ensure that the Fund’s exposure to its underlying index is consistent with the Fund’s stated investment objective. The impact of market movements during the day determines whether a portfolio needs to be repositioned. If the underlying index has risen on a given day, a Bull Fund’s net assets should rise, meaning its exposure may need to be increased. Conversely, if the underlying index has fallen on a given day, a Bull Fund’s net assets should fall, meaning its exposure may need to be reduced. If the underlying index has risen on a given day, a Bear Fund’s net assets should fall, meaning its exposure may need to be reduced. If the underlying index has fallen on a given day, a Bear Fund’s net assets should rise, meaning its exposure may need to be increased. Any of the Funds’ portfolios may also need to be changed to reflect changes in the composition of its underlying index. Rafferty increases a Fund’s exposure when its assets rise and reduces a Fund’s exposure when its assets fall.
The Funds are designed to provide daily leveraged investment returns, before fees and expenses, that are 300% or -300% of the returns of an underlying index. A Fund may have difficulty in achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, accounting standards, significant purchase and redemption activity by Fund shareholders and/or disruptions or a temporary lack of liquidity in the markets for the securities held by the Fund. Additionally, if a Fund's underlying index includes foreign securities or tracks a foreign market index where the foreign market closes before or after the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) closes (generally at 4 p.m. Eastern Time), the performance of the underlying index may differ from the expected daily leveraged performance. As such, correlation to an underlying index for Funds that track an underlying index that includes foreign securities will generally be measured by comparing the daily change in a Fund’s NAV per share to the performance of one or more U.S. ETFs that reflect the values of the securities of the underlying index as of the Fund’s NAV calculation time.
Seeking daily leveraged investment results provides potential for greater gains and losses for the Funds relative to its underlying index’s performance. For a period longer than one day, the pursuit of a daily investment objective may result in daily leveraged compounding for the Funds. This means that the return of an underlying index over a period of time greater than one day multiplied by a Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 300% or -300%) generally will not equal a Fund’s performance over that same period. Consider the following examples:
Mary is considering investments in two Funds, Funds A, and B. Fund A is a traditional index ETF which seeks (before fees and expenses) to match the performance of the XYZ index. Fund B is a leveraged ETF and seeks daily leveraged investment results (before fees and expenses) that correspond to 300% of the daily performance of the XYZ index.
On Day 1, the XYZ index increases in value from $100 to $105, a gain of 5%. On Day 2, the XYZ index declines from $105 back to $100, a loss of 4.76%. In the aggregate, the XYZ index has not moved.
An investment in Fund A would be expected to gain 5% on Day 1 and lose 4.76% on Day 2 to return to its original value. The following example assumes a $100 investment in Fund A when the index is also valued at $100:
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Day Index
Value
Index
Performance
Value of
Investment
  $100.00   $100.00
1 $105.00 5.00% $105.00
2 $100.00 -4.76% $100.00
The same $100 investment in Fund B, however, would be expected to gain in value on Day 1 but decline in value on Day 2.
The $100 investment in Fund B would be expected to gain 15% on Day 1 (300% of 5%) but decline 14.28% on Day 2.
Day Index
Performance
300% of
Index Performance
Value of
Investment
      $100.00
1 5.00% 15.0% $115.00
2 -4.76% -14.28% $98.57
Although the percentage decline in Fund B is smaller on Day 2 than the percentage gain on Day 1, the loss is applied to a higher principal amount, so the investment in Fund B experiences a loss even when the aggregate index value for the two-day period has not declined. (These calculations do not include the charges for expense ratio and financing charges.)
As you can see, an investment in Fund B has additional risks due to the effects of leverage and compounding.
The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and ETFs. First, each Fund pursues a daily leveraged investment objective, which means that the Funds are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Funds magnify the performance of their underlying index. Second, each Bear Fund pursues investment goals which are inverse to the performance of its underlying index, a result opposite of most mutual funds and ETFs. Third, the Funds seek daily leveraged investment results. An investor who purchases shares of a Fund intra-day will generally receive more, or less, than 300% exposure to the underlying index from that point until the end of the trading day. The actual exposure is a function of the performance of the underlying index from the end of the prior trading day. If a Fund’s shares are held for a period longer than a single trading day, the Fund’s performance is likely to deviate from 300% or -300% of the return of the underlying index’s performance for the longer period. This deviation will increase with higher underlying index volatility and longer holding periods. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold the Funds unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day or for a period different than a trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. The Funds are not suitable for all investors.
For investments held for longer than a trading day, volatility in the performance of the underlying index from day to day is the primary cause of any disparity between a Fund’s actual returns, the product of the Fund’s beta and the returns of the underlying index for such longer period. Volatility causes such disparity because it exacerbates the effects of compounding on a Fund’s returns. In addition, the effects of volatility are magnified in the Funds due to leverage. For example, consider the following three examples that demonstrate the effect of volatility on a hypothetical fund:
Example 1 Underlying Index Experiences Low Volatility
Mary invests $10.00 in a hypothetical Bull Fund at the close of trading on Day 1. During Day 2, the Fund’s underlying index rises from 100 to 102, a 2% gain. Mary’s investment rises 6% to $10.60. Mary holds her investment through the close of trading on Day 3, during which the Fund’s underlying index rises from 102 to 104, a gain of 1.96%. Mary’s investment rises to $11.22, a gain during Day 3 of 5.88%. For the two day period since Mary invested in the Fund, the underlying index gained 4% although Mary’s investment increased by 12.2%. Because the underlying index continued to trend upwards with low volatility, Mary’s return closely correlates to the 300% return of the return of the underlying index for the period.
John invests $10.00 in a hypothetical Bear Fund at the close of trading on Day 1. During Day 2, the Fund’s underlying index gains 2%, and John’s investment falls by 6% to $9.40. On Day 3, the underlying index rises by 1.96%, and John’s Fund falls by 5.88% to $8.85. For the two day period the underlying index returned 4% while the Fund lost 11.5%. John’s return still correlates to -300% return of the underlying index, but not as closely as Mary’s investment in a Bull Fund.
Example 2 Underlying Index Experiences High Volatility
Mary invests $10.00 in a hypothetical Bull Fund after the close of trading on Day 1. During Day 2, the Fund’s underlying index rises from 100 to 102, a 2% gain, and Mary’s investment rises 6% to $10.60. Mary continues to hold her investment through the end of Day 3, during which the Fund’s underlying index declines from 102 to 98, a loss of 3.92%. Mary’s investment declines by 11.76%, from $10.60 to $9.35. For the two day period since Mary invested in the Fund, the Fund’s
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underlying index lost 2% while Mary’s investment decreased from $10 to $9.35, a 6.47% loss. The volatility of the underlying index affected the correlation between the underlying index’s return for the two day period and Mary’s return. In this situation, Mary lost more than three times the return of the underlying index.
Conversely, John invests $10.00 in a hypothetical Bear Fund after the close of trading on Day 1. During Day 2, the Fund’s underlying index rises from 100 to 102, a 2% gain, and John’s investment falls 6% to $9.40. John continues to hold his investment through the end of Day 3, during which the Fund’s underlying index declines from 102 to 98, a loss of 3.92%. John’s investment rises by 11.76%, from $9.40 to $10.51. For the two day period since John invested in the Fund, the Fund’s underlying index lost 2% while John’s investment increased from $10 to $10.51, a 5.06% gain. The volatility of the underlying index affected the correlation between the underlying index’s return for the two day period and John’s return. In this situation, John gained less than three times the return of the underlying index.
Example 3 Intra-day Investment with Volatility
The examples above assumed that Mary purchased the hypothetical Bull Fund at the close of trading on Day 1 and sold her investment at the close of trading on a subsequent day. However, if she made an investment intra-day, she would have received a beta determined by the performance of the underlying index from the end of the prior trading day until her time of purchase on the next trading day. Consider the following example.
Mary invests $10.00 in a hypothetical Bull Fund at 11 a.m. on Day 2. From the close of trading on Day 1 until 11 a.m. on Day 2, the underlying index moved from 100 to 102, a 2% gain. In light of that gain, the Fund beta at the point at which Mary invests is 289%. During the remainder of Day 2, the Fund’s underlying index rises from 102 to 110, a gain of 7.84%, and Mary’s investment rises 22.7% (which is the underlying index gain of 7.84% multiplied by the 289% beta that she received) to $12.27. Mary continues to hold her investment through the close of trading on Day 2, during which the Fund’s underlying index declines from 110 to 90, a loss of 18.18%. Mary’s investment declines by 54.5%, from $12.27 to $5.58. For the period of Mary’s investment, the Fund’s underlying index declined from 102 to 90, a loss of 11.76%, while Mary’s investment decreased from $10.00 to $5.58, a 44% loss. The volatility of the underlying index affected the correlation between the underlying index’s return for period and Mary’s return. In this situation, Mary lost more than three times the return of the underlying index. Mary was also hurt because she missed the first 2% move of the underlying index and had a beta of 289% for the remainder of Day 2.
The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Such investors are expected to monitor and manage their portfolios frequently. Investors in the Funds should: (a) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, (b) understand the consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results, (c) For the Bear Funds, understand the risk of shorting, and (d) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments. Investors who do not understand the Funds or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments should not buy the Funds. There is no assurance that any of the Funds offered in this Prospectus will achieve their investment objectives and an investment in any Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
Market Volatility. Each Fund seeks to provide a return which is a multiple of the daily performance of its underlying index. No Fund attempts to, and no Fund should be expected to, provide returns which are a multiple of the return of the underlying index for periods other than a single day. Each Fund rebalances its portfolio on a daily basis, increasing exposure in response to that day’s gains or reducing exposure in response to that day’s losses.
Daily rebalancing will impair a Fund’s performance if the underlying index experiences volatility. For instance, a Bull Fund would be expected to lose 11% (as shown in Table 1 below) if its underlying index provided no return over a one year period and experienced annualized volatility of 20%. A Bear Fund would be expected to lose 21% (as shown in Table 1 below) if its underlying index provided no return over a one year period and experienced annualized volatility of 20%. If the underlying index’s annualized volatility were to rise to 40%, the hypothetical loss for a one year period for a Bull Fund widens to approximately 38% while the loss for a Bear Fund rises to 62%.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of Fund value even if the underlying index is flat. For instance, if annualized volatility of the underlying index is 90%, both the Bull and the Bear Funds with the same underlying index would be expected to lose more than 90% of their value even if the cumulative underlying index return for the year was 0%. An index’s volatility rate is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns of an index.
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Table 1
Volatility
Range
Bull Fund
Loss
Bear Fund
Loss
10% -3% -6%
20% -11% -21%
30% -24% -42%
40% -38% -62%
50% -53% -78%
60% -67% -89%
70% -78% -95%
80% -87% -98%
90% -92% -99%
100% -96% -99%
Table 2 shows the volatility rate for the Funds’ underlying indices over the five year period ended December 31, 2016. If an index has been in existence for less than 5 years, its inception date is noted next to its name in Table 2. The underlying indices have annualized historical volatility rates over that period ranging from 3.15% to 31.20%. Since market volatility has negative implications for Funds which rebalance daily, investors should be sure to monitor and manage their investments in the Funds particularly in volatile markets. The negative implications of volatility in Table 1 can be combined with the recent volatility ranges of various indices in Table 2 to give investors some sense of the risks of holding the Funds for long periods. These tables are intended to simply underscore the fact that the Funds are designed as short-term trading vehicles. The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios.
Table 2 Historic Volatility of each Fund’s Benchmark Index
Index 5-Year Historical
Volatility
Rate
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation-Linked Bond Index
(Series L)
5.21%
Bloomberg Barclays US High Yield Very Liquid Index 4.64%
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index 14.13%
Consumer Staples Select Sector Index 11.24%
Dow Jones Industrial Average 12.30%
Dow Jones Transportation Average Index 17.17%
Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index 14.99%
Dynamic Pharmaceutical Intellidex Index 18.86%
EURO STOXX 50® Index 21.43%
Industrials Select Sector Index 14.50%
J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index 
(From Inception on January 20, 2017 through March 31, 2017)
3.15%
MSCI Canada Index 15.69%
MSCI Italy 25/50 Index 26.74%
MSCI Mexico IMI 25/50 Index 20.28%
S&P Metals & Mining Select Industry Index 31.20%
Utilities Select Sector Index 14.00%
A Precautionary Note to Investors Regarding Dramatic Index Movement. A Bull Fund seeks daily exposure to its underlying index equal to 300% of its net assets while a Bear Fund seeks daily exposure to its underlying index equal to -300% of its net assets. As a consequence, a Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of a movement of its underlying index in excess of 33% in a direction adverse to the Fund (meaning a decline in the value of the underlying index of a Bull Fund and a gain in the value of the underlying index for a Bear Fund). Rafferty will attempt to position each Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not lose more than 90% of its NAV on a given day. The cost of such downside protection will be symmetrical limitations on gains. If Rafferty successfully positions a Fund’s portfolio to provide such limits, a Fund’s portfolio and NAV will not be responsive to movements in its underlying index beyond 30% in a given day, whether that movement is favorable or adverse to the Fund. For example, if a Bull Fund’s underlying index were to gain 35%, the Bull Fund might be limited to a daily gain of 90%, which corresponds to 300% of an underlying index gain of 30%, rather than 105%, which is 300% of the underlying index gain of 35%. Rafferty cannot be assured of similarly limiting a Fund’s losses and shareholders should not expect such protection. In short, the risk of total loss exists. In the event of a severe underlying index movement within one trading day, which results in such a limit on gains and losses, a Fund’s performance may be inconsistent with its stated daily leveraged investment objective.
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The intra-day value of each Fund’s shares, otherwise known as the “intraday indicative value” or “IOPV,” which is disseminated by the Exchange every 15 seconds throughout the business day, is based on the current market value of the securities and cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit on the prior business day. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund at a particular point in time, nor the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund’s NAV, which is computed only once a day.
The Projected Return of a Bull Fund for a Single Trading Day. Each Bull Fund seeks to provide a daily return that is 300% of the daily return of an underlying index. Doing so requires the use of leveraged investment techniques, which necessarily incur financing charges. For instance, the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares seeks exposure to its underlying index in an amount equal to 300% of its assets, meaning it uses leveraged investment techniques to seek exposure to the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index in an amount equal to 300% of its net assets. In light of the financing charges and a Bull Fund’s operating expenses, the expected return of a Bull Fund over one trading day is equal to the gross expected return, which is the daily underlying index return multiplied by a Bull Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective, minus (i) financing charges incurred by the portfolio and (ii) daily operating expenses. For instance, if the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index returns 2% on a given day, the gross expected return of the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares would be 6%, but the net expected return, which factors in the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, would be lower. Each Bull Fund will reposition its portfolio at the end of every trading day. Therefore, if an investor purchases Fund shares at close of the markets on a given trading day, the investor’s exposure to the underlying index of a Bull Fund would reflect 300% of the performance of the underlying index during the following trading day, subject to the charges and expenses noted above, regardless of whether the investor sells the shares during that day.
The Projected Return of a Bear Fund for a Single Trading Day. Each Bear Fund seeks to provide a daily return which is 300% of the inverse (or opposite) of the daily return of an underlying index. To create the necessary exposure, a Bear Fund engages in short sellingborrowing and selling securities it does not own. The money that a Bear Fund receives from short sales
the short sale proceedsis an asset of the Bear Fund that can generate income to help offset the Bear Fund’s operating expenses. However, the costs of creating short exposure, which may require the Bear Fund’s counterparties to borrow and sell certain securities, may offset or outweigh such income. As the holder of a short position, a Bear Fund also is responsible for paying the dividends and interest accruing on the short position, which is an expense to the Bear Fund that could cause the Fund to lose money on the short sale and may adversely affect its performance. Each Bear Fund will reposition its portfolio at the end of every trading day. Therefore, if an investor purchases Bear Fund shares at close of the markets on a given trading day, the investor’s exposure to the underlying index of a Bear Fund would reflect 300% of the inverse performance of the underlying index during the following trading day, subject to the charges and expenses noted above, regardless of whether the investor sells the shares during that day.
The Projected Returns of Funds for Intra-Day Purchases. Because the Funds rebalance their portfolios once daily, an investor who purchases shares during a day will likely have more, or less, than 300% leveraged investment exposure to the underlying index. The exposure to the underlying index received by an investor who purchases a Fund intra-day will differ from the Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 300% or -300%) by an amount determined by the movement of the underlying index from its value at the end of the prior day. If the underlying index moves in a direction favorable to the Fund between the close of the market on one trading day through the time on the next trading day when the investor purchases Fund shares, the investor will receive less exposure to the underlying index than the stated fund daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 300% or -300%). Conversely, if the underlying index moves in a direction adverse to the Fund, the investor will receive more exposure to the underlying index than the stated fund daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 300% or -300%).
Table 3 below indicates the exposure to the underlying index that an intra-day purchase of a Bull Fund would be expected to provide based upon the movement in the value of a Bull Fund’s underlying index from the close of the market on the prior trading day. Such exposure holds until a subsequent sale on that same trading day or until the close of the market on that trading day. For instance, if the underlying index of a Bull Fund has moved 2% in a direction favorable to a Bull Fund, the investor would receive exposure to the performance of the underlying index from that point until the investor sells later that day or the end of the day equal to approximately 289% of the investor’s investment.
Conversely, if the underlying index has moved 2% in a direction unfavorable to a Bull Fund, an investor at that point would receive exposure to the performance of the underlying index from that point until the investor sells later that day or the end of the day equal to approximately 313% of the investor’s investment.
The table includes a range of underlying index moves from 5% to -5% for a Bull Fund. Movement of the underlying index beyond the range noted below will result in exposure further from the Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective.
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Table 3
Index Move Resulting Exposure
for Bull Fund
-5% 335%
-4% 327%
-3% 320%
-2% 313%
-1% 306%
0% 300%
1% 294%
2% 289%
3% 283%
4% 279%
5% 274%
Table 4 below indicates the exposure to the underlying index that an intra-day purchase of a Bear Fund would be expected to provide based upon the movement in the value of the Bear Fund’s underlying index from the close of the market on the prior trading day. Such exposure holds until a subsequent sale on that same trading day or until the close of the market on that trading day. Table 4 indicates that, if the underlying index of a Bear Fund has moved 2% in a direction favorable to the Bear Fund, the investor would receive exposure to the performance of the underlying index from that point until the investor sells later that day or the end of the day equal to approximately -277% of the investor’s investment. Conversely, if the underlying index has moved 2% in a direction unfavorable to a Bear Fund, an investor would receive exposure to the performance of the underlying index from that point until the investor sells later that day or the end of the day equal to approximately 326% of the investor’s investment.
The table includes a range of underlying index moves from 5% to -5% for the Bear Fund. Movement of the underlying index beyond the range noted below will result in exposure further from the Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective.
Table 4
Index Move Resulting Exposure
for Bear Fund
-5% -248%
-4% -257%
-3% -267%
-2% -277%
-1% -288%
0% -300%
1% -312%
2% -326%
3% -340%
4% -355%
5% -371%
The Projected Returns of the Funds for Periods Other Than a Single Trading Day. The Funds seek leveraged investment results on a daily basisfrom the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day— which should not be equated with seeking a leveraged investment objective for any other period. For instance, if the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index gains 10% for a week, the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares should not be expected to provide a return of 30% for the week even if it meets its daily leveraged investment objective throughout the week. This is true because of the financing charges noted above but also because the pursuit of daily goals may result in daily leveraged compounding, which means that the return of an underlying index over a period of time greater than one day multiplied by a Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective or inverse daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 300% or -300%) will not generally equal a Fund’s performance over that same period. In addition, the effects of compounding become greater the longer Shares are held beyond a single trading day.
The following charts set out a range of hypothetical daily performances during a given 10 trading days of the hypothetical underlying index and demonstrate how changes in the hypothetical underlying index impact the hypothetical Funds’ performance for one trading day and cumulatively up to, and including, the entire 10 trading day period. The charts are based on a hypothetical $100 investment in the hypothetical Funds over a 10 trading day period and do not reflect expenses of any kind.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 230

 

Table 5 The Index Lacks a Clear Trend
Index Bull Fund Bear Fund
  Value Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
  100     $100.00     $100.00    
Day 1 105 5.00% 5.00% $115.00 15.00% 15.00% $ 85.00 -15.00% -15.00%
Day 2 110 4.76% 10.00% $131.43 14.29% 31.43% $ 72.86 -14.29% -27.14%
Day 3 100 -9.09% 0.00% $ 95.58 -27.27% -4.42% $ 92.73 27.27% -7.27%
Day 4 90 -10.00% -10.00% $ 66.91 -30.00% -33.09% $120.55 30.00% 20.55%
Day 5 85 -5.56% -15.00% $ 55.76 -16.67% -44.24% $140.64 16.67% 40.64%
Day 6 100 17.65% 0.00% $ 85.28 52.94% -14.72% $ 66.18 -52.94% -33.82%
Day 7 95 -5.00% -5.00% $ 72.48 -15.00% -27.52% $ 76.11 15.00% -23.89%
Day 8 100 5.26% 0.00% $ 83.93 15.79% -16.07% $ 64.09 -15.79% -35.91%
Day 9 105 5.00% 5.00% $ 96.52 15.00% -3.48% $ 54.48 -15.00% -45.52%
Day 10 100 -4.76% 0.00% $ 82.73 -14.29% -17.27% $ 62.26 14.29% -37.74%
The cumulative performance of the hypothetical underlying index in Table 5 is 0% for 10 trading days. The return of the hypothetical Bull Fund for the 10 trading day period is 17.27%, while the return of the hypothetical Bear Fund is -37.74%. The volatility of the hypothetical underlying index’s performance and lack of a clear trend results in performance for each hypothetical Fund for the period which bears little relationship to the performance of the hypothetical underlying index for the 10 trading day period.
Table 6 The Index Rises in a Clear Trend
Index Bull Fund Bear Fund
  Value Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
  100     $100.00     $100.00    
Day 1 102 2.00% 2.00% $106.00 6.00% 6.00% $ 94.00 -6.00% -6.00%
Day 2 104 1.96% 4.00% $112.24 5.88% 12.24% $ 88.47 -5.88% -11.53%
Day 3 106 1.92% 6.00% $118.71 5.77% 18.71% $ 83.37 -5.77% -16.63%
Day 4 108 1.89% 8.00% $125.43 5.66% 25.43% $ 78.65 -5.66% -21.35%
Day 5 110 1.85% 10.00% $132.40 5.56% 32.40% $ 74.28 -5.56% -25.72%
Day 6 112 1.82% 12.00% $139.62 5.45% 39.62% $ 70.23 -5.45% -29.77%
Day 7 114 1.79% 14.00% $147.10 5.36% 47.10% $ 66.46 -5.36% -33.54%
Day 8 116 1.75% 16.00% $154.84 5.26% 54.84% $ 62.97 -5.26% -37.03%
Day 9 118 1.72% 18.00% $162.85 5.17% 62.85% $ 59.71 -5.17% -40.29%
Day 10 120 1.69% 20.00% $171.13 5.08% 71.13% $ 56.67 -5.08% -43.33%
The cumulative performance of the hypothetical underlying index in Table 6 is 20% for 10 trading days. The return of the hypothetical Bull Fund for the 10 trading day period is 71.13%, while the return of the hypothetical Bear Fund is -43.33%. In this case, because of the positive hypothetical underlying index trend, the hypothetical Bull Fund gain is greater than 300% of the hypothetical underlying index gain and the hypothetical Bear Fund’s decline is less than -300% of the hypothetical underlying index gain for the 10 trading day period.
231 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

Table 7 The Index Declines in a Clear Trend
Index Bull Fund Bear Fund
  Value Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
NAV Daily
Performance
Cumulative
Performance
  100     $100.00     $100.00    
Day 1 98 -2.00% -2.00% $ 94.00 -6.00% -6.00% $106.00 6.00% 6.00%
Day 2 96 -2.04% -4.00% $ 88.24 -6.12% -11.76% $112.49 6.12% 12.49%
Day 3 94 -2.08% -6.00% $ 82.73 -6.25% -11.76% $119.52 6.25% 19.52%
Day 4 92 -2.13% -8.00% $ 77.45 -6.38% -22.55% $127.15 6.38% 27.15%
Day 5 90 -2.17% -10.00% $ 72.40 -6.52% -27.60% $135.44 6.52% 35.44%
Day 6 88 -2.22% -12.00% $ 67.57 -6.67% -32.43% $144.47 6.67% 44.47%
Day 7 86 -2.27% -14.00% $ 62.96 -6.82% -37.04% $154.32 6.82% 54.32%
Day 8 84 -2.33% -16.00% $ 58.57 -6.98% -41.43% $165.09 6.98% 65.09%
Day 9 82 -2.38% -18.00% $ 54.39 -7.14% -45.61% $176.88 7.14% 76.88%
Day 10 80 -2.44% -20.00% $ 50.41 -7.32% -49.59% $189.82 7.32% 89.82%
The cumulative performance of the hypothetical underlying index in Table 7 is -20% for 10 trading days. The return of the hypothetical Bull Fund for the 10 trading day period is 49.59%, while the return of the hypothetical Bear Fund is 89.82%. In this case, because of the negative hypothetical underlying index trend, the hypothetical Bull Fund’s decline is less than 300% of the hypothetical underlying index decline and the hypothetical Bear Fund’s gain is greater than 300% of the hypothetical underlying index decline for the 10 trading day period.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 232

 

Additional Information Regarding Principal Risks
An investment in a Fund entails risks. A Fund could lose money, or its performance could trail that of other investment alternatives. Rafferty cannot guarantee that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. In addition, a Fund presents some risks not traditionally associated with most mutual funds and ETFs. It is important that investors closely review and understand these risks before making an investment in a Fund. The table below provides the risks of investing in the Funds. Following the table, each risk is explained.
  Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bear 3X Shares
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Derivatives Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Leverage Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Counterparty Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Shorting Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Cash Transaction Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Intra-Day Investment Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk X   X   X   X   X   X   X  
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Valuation Time Risk                            
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk X   X   X   X   X   X   X  
Aerospace and Defense Industry Risk     X X                    
Banking Industry Risk                            
Biotechnology Industry Risk                         X X
Canadian Securities Risk                            
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk         X X                
Consumer Services Sector Risk X X                        
Consumer Staples Sector Risk             X X            
Credit Risk                            
Debt Instrument Risk                            
Deflation Risk                            
Emerging Markets Risk                            
Energy Sector Risk                            
European Economic Risk                            
Financials Sector Risk X X                        
Frontier Markets Risk                            
Healthcare Sector Risk                         X X
Industrials Sector Risk X X X X         X X        
Interest Rate Risk                            
Italian Securities Risk                            
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk                            
Materials Sector Risk                     X X    
Mexican Securities Risk                            
Mining and Metal Industry Risk                     X X    
Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk                            
Pharmaceutical Industry Risk                         X X
Prepayment Risk                            
233 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

  Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bear 3X Shares
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk                            
Transportation Industry Risk                            
U.S. Government Securities Risk                            
Utilities Sector Risk                            
Large-Capitalization Company Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Micro-Capitalization Company Risk                            
Mid-Capitalization Company Risk             X X            
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk     X X X X     X X X X X X
Currency Exchange Rate Risk                            
Depositary Receipt Risk                            
Foreign Securities Risk                            
Geographic Concentration Risk                            
International Closed-Market Trading Risk                            
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Equity Securities Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
High Portfolio Turnover Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Investment Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Liquidity Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Market Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Money Market Instrument Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Non-Diversification Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Regulatory Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 234

 

  Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Derivatives Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Leverage Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Counterparty Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Shorting Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X     X   X
Cash Transaction Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X     X   X
Intra-Day Investment Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk X   X   X   X   X   X   X X   X  
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X     X   X
Valuation Time Risk                           X X X X
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk X   X   X   X   X   X   X X   X  
Aerospace and Defense Industry Risk                                  
Banking Industry Risk                     X X          
Biotechnology Industry Risk                                  
Canadian Securities Risk         X X                      
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk                                  
Consumer Services Sector Risk                                  
Consumer Staples Sector Risk                 X X              
Credit Risk                         X X X X X
Debt Instrument Risk                         X X X X X
Deflation Risk                               X X
Emerging Markets Risk                 X X     X        
Energy Sector Risk         X X X X                  
European Economic Risk             X X     X X          
Financials Sector Risk         X X X X X X              
Frontier Markets Risk                         X        
Healthcare Sector Risk                                  
Industrials Sector Risk X X                              
Interest Rate Risk                         X X X X X
Italian Securities Risk             X X                  
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk                         X X X    
Materials Sector Risk                 X X              
Mexican Securities Risk                 X X              
Mining and Metal Industry Risk                                  
Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk                         X        
Pharmaceutical Industry Risk                                  
Prepayment Risk                         X X X    
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk                         X        
Transportation Industry Risk X X                              
U.S. Government Securities Risk                               X X
Utilities Sector Risk     X X     X X                  
Large-Capitalization Company Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X          
235 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

  Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares
Micro-Capitalization Company Risk                 X X              
Mid-Capitalization Company Risk     X X                          
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk X X     X X X X X X              
Currency Exchange Rate Risk         X X X X X X X X          
Depositary Receipt Risk         X   X   X   X            
Foreign Securities Risk         X X X X X X X X X        
Geographic Concentration Risk         X X X X X X X X          
International Closed-Market Trading Risk         X X X X X X X X X        
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Equity Securities Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X          
High Portfolio Turnover Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Investment Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Liquidity Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Market Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Money Market Instrument Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Non-Diversification Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Regulatory Risk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk
Each Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and a Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to be better or worse than the underlying index’s performance times the stated multiple in a Fund’s investment objective, before fees and expenses. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on leveraged funds. Particularly during periods of higher index volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary. Each Fund does not attempt to, and should not be expected to, provide returns, before fees and expenses, which are 300% of the performance of its underlying index for periods other than one trading day. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase. The impact of compounding will affect each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in a Fund is held and the volatility of its underlying index during the period an investment in a Fund is held.
As a result, over time, the cumulative percentage increase or decrease in the value of a Fund’s portfolio may diverge significantly from the cumulative percentage increase or decrease in 300% or -300% of the return of a Fund's underlying index due to the compounding effect of losses and gains on the returns of a Fund. It also is expected that a Fund's use of leverage will cause the Fund to underperform the return of 300% of its underlying index in a trendless or flat market. The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced on a Fund’s performance as its underlying index experiences volatility. An index’s volatility rate is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns of the index.
The chart below provides examples of how index volatility could affect a Fund’s performance. Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) index volatility; b) index performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; e) other Fund expenses; and f) dividends or interest paid with respect to
 
 
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 236

 

securities in its underlying index. The chart below illustrates the impact of two principal factors index volatility and index performance on Fund performance. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of index volatility and index performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) no dividends were paid with respect to the securities included in its underlying index; (ii) there were no Fund expenses; and (iii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure for the Bull Funds and inverse leveraged exposure for the Bear Funds) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected, the estimated returns would be different than those shown.
As shown below, a Bull Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% and a Bear Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the underlying index provided no return over a one year period during which the underlying index experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the underlying index’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one year period widens to approximately 81.5% for a Bull Fund and 96.6% for a Bear Fund.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value even if the underlying index is flat. For instance, if the underlying index’s annualized volatility is 100%, it is likely that a Bull Fund would lose 95% of its value, and a Bear Fund would lose approximately 100% of its value, even if the underlying index’s cumulative return for the year was only 0%. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the underlying index such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of a Fund's underlying index.
Bull Fund
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
Bear Fund
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
Holding an unmanaged position opens the investor to the risk of market volatility adversely affecting the performance of the investment. A Fund is not appropriate for investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. Each table is intended to underscore the fact that a Fund is designed as a short-term trading vehicle for investors who intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios.
For additional information and examples demonstrating the effects of volatility and index performance on the long-term performance of the Funds, see the “Additional Information Regarding Investment Techniques and Policies” section, and “Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds” in the Funds' Statement of Additional Information.
Derivatives Risk
A Fund uses investment techniques, including investments in derivatives, such as swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options that may be considered aggressive. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than investing in the underlying securities directly, or in the case of the Bear Funds, directly shorting the underlying securities. Investments in these derivatives may generally be subject to market risks that cause their prices to fluctuate more than an investment directly in a security and may increase the volatility of a Fund. The use of derivatives may expose a Fund to additional risks such as counterparty risk, liquidity risk and increased daily correlation risk. When a Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation
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between the value of the underlying reference assets and the derivative, which may prevent a Fund from achieving its investment objective.
A Fund may use a combination of swaps on the underlying index and swaps on an ETF whose investment objective is to track the performance of the same or a substantially similar underlying index. The performance of this underlying ETF may not track the performance of the underlying index due to fees and other costs borne by the ETF and other factors. Thus, to the extent that a Fund invests in swaps that use an ETF as an underlying reference asset, a Fund may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation with the underlying index as it would if the Fund used swaps that utilized the underlying index securities as a reference or as an underlying asset. Additionally, with respect to the use of swap agreements, if the underlying index has a dramatic intraday move in value that causes a material decline in a Fund’s NAV, the terms of the swap agreement between a Fund and its counterparty may allow the counterparty to immediately close out of the transaction with a Fund. In such circumstances, a Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve the desired exposure consistent with a Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective. This may prevent a Fund from achieving its daily leveraged investment objective particularly if the underlying index reverses all or a portion of its intraday move by the end of the day. Any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using derivatives may also have the effect of lowering a Fund’s return. In addition, a Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period which may range from one day to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities representing a particular index. Total return swaps are subject to counterparty risk, which relates to credit risk of the counterparty and liquidity risk of the swaps themselves.
Futures Contracts. A futures contact is a contract to purchase or sell a particular security, or the cash value of an index, at a specified future date at a price agreed upon when the contract is made. Under such contracts, no delivery of the actual securities is required. Rather, upon the expiration of the contract, settlement is made by exchanging cash in an amount equal to the difference between the contract price and the closing price of a security or index at expiration, net of the variation margin that was previously paid.
Forward Contracts. Forward contracts are two-party contracts pursuant to which one party agrees to pay the counterparty a fixed price for an agreed upon amount of commodities, securities, or the cash value of the commodities, securities or the securities index, at an agreed
  upon date. A forward currency contract is an obligation to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract.
Options. An option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying the option at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option (normally not exceeding nine months). The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency.
Options on Futures Contracts. An option on a futures contract provides the holder with the right to enter into a “long” position in the underlying futures contract, in the case of a call option, or a “short” position in the underlying futures contract in the case of a put option, at a fixed exercise price to a stated expiration date. Upon exercise of the option by the holder, the contract market clearing house establishes a corresponding short position for the writer of the option, in the case of a call option, or a corresponding long position, in the case of a put option.
Leverage Risk
To achieve its daily investment objective, each Fund employs leverage and is exposed to the risk that adverse daily performance of a Fund's underlying index will be leveraged. This means that, if a Fund's underlying index experiences an adverse daily performance, your investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% of adverse performance, not including the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, which would further lower your investment.
A Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of a movement of its underlying index in excess of 33% in a direction adverse to the Fund (meaning a decline in the value of the underlying index of a Bull Fund and a gain in the value of the underlying index for a Bear Fund). Further, purchasing shares during a single day may result in greater than 300% exposure to the performance of the underlying index if the underlying index moves in a direction adverse to the Fund between the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day.
To fully understand the risks of using leverage in a Fund, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” above.
Counterparty Risk
Each Fund invests in financial instruments which are subject to the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations with respect to the amount a Fund expects to receive from counterparties to financial instruments. Each Fund generally structures the swap agreements entered into with counterparties such that either party can terminate the
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contract without penalty prior to the termination date. A Fund may be negatively impacted if a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations under such a contract. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to a Fund, it may not receive the full amount it is entitled to receive. The Adviser considers factors such as counterparty credit rating among other factors when determining whether a counterparty is creditworthy. The Adviser regularly monitors the creditworthiness of each counterparty with which a Fund transacts. Each Fund generally enters into swap agreements or other financial instruments with major, global financial institutions and seeks to mitigate risks by generally requiring that the counterparties for each Fund agree to post collateral for the benefit of each Fund, marked to market daily, in an amount approximately equal to what the counterparty owes a Fund subject to certain minimum thresholds. To the extent any such collateral is insufficient or there are delays in accessing the collateral, the Funds will be exposed to the risk described above.
In addition, a Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase a Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. A Fund does not specifically limit its counterparty risk with respect to any single counterparty. There is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with a Fund and, as a result, a Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objectives. A Fund will not enter into any agreement involving a counterparty unless the Adviser believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. Additionally, although a counterparty to a centrally cleared swap agreement and/or an exchange-traded futures contract is often backed by a futures commission merchant (“FCM”) or a clearing organization that is further backed by a group of financial institutions, there may be instances in which a FCM or a clearing organization would fail to perform its obligations, causing significant losses to a Fund.
Shorting Risk
Shareholders should lose money when the Index rises, which is a result that is the opposite from traditional index tracking funds. A Bear Fund may engage in short sales designed to earn the Bear Fund a profit from the decline in the price of particular securities, baskets of securities or indices. Short sales are transactions in which a Bear Fund borrows securities from a broker and sells the borrowed securities. A Bear Fund is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of replacement. If the market price of the underlying security goes down between the time a Bear Fund sells the security and buys it back, a Bear Fund will realize a gain on the transaction. Conversely, if the underlying security goes up in price during the period, a Bear Fund will realize a loss on the transaction. Any such loss is increased by the amount of premium or interest a Bear Fund must pay to the lender of the security. Likewise, any gain will be decreased by the amount of premium or interest a Bear Fund must pay to the lender of the security. A Bear Fund’s investment performance may also suffer if the Bear Fund is required to close out a short position earlier than it had intended. This would occur if
the securities lender required a Bear Fund to deliver the securities the Bear Fund borrowed at the commencement of the short sale and the Bear Fund was unable to borrow the securities from another securities lender or otherwise obtain the security by other means. In addition, a Bear Fund may be subject to expenses related to short sales that are not typically associated with investing in securities directly, such as costs of borrowing and margin account maintenance costs associated with the Bear Fund’s open short positions. As the holder of a short position, a Bear Fund also is responsible for paying the dividends and interest accruing on the short position, which is an expense to the Bear Fund that could cause the Bear Fund to lose money on the short sale and may adversely affect its performance.
Cash Transaction Risk
Unlike most ETFs, each Bear Fund currently intends to effect creation and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, because of the nature of the financial instruments held by each Bear Fund. As such, investment in each Bear Fund may be less tax efficient than investment in a conventional ETF. ETFs generally are able to make in-kind redemptions and avoid being taxed on gains on the distributed portfolio securities at the fund level. Because each Bear Fund currently intends to effect redemptions principally for cash, each Bear Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. Each Bear Fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if such Bear Fund had made a redemption in-kind and this may decrease the tax efficiency of the Bear Fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process.
Intra-Day Investment Risk
Each Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, which should not be equated with seeking an investment objective for shorter than a day. Thus, an investor who purchases Fund shares after the close of the markets on one trading day and before the close of the markets on the next trading day will likely have more, or less, than 300% or -300% leveraged investment exposure to the underlying index, depending upon the movement of the underlying index from the end of one trading day until the time of purchase. If the underlying index moves in a direction favorable to a Fund, the investor will receive less than 300% or -300% exposure to the underlying index. Conversely, if the underlying index moves in a direction adverse to a Fund, the investor will receive exposure to the underlying index greater than 300% or -300%. Investors may consult the Funds' website at any point during the day to determine how the current value of a Fund's underlying index relates to the value of the underlying index at the end of the previous day.
Daily Index Correlation/Tracking Risk
For each Bull Fund, there can be no guarantee that each Bull Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to its underlying index and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of correlation with its underlying index, each Bull Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. Each Bull Fund may have
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difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees and expenses, high portfolio turnover, transaction costs and costs associated with the use of leveraged investment techniques and/or a temporary lack of liquidity in the markets for the securities held by a Bull Fund. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect each Bull Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Because an underlying index may include foreign securities, a Bull Fund’s return may vary from a multiple of the performance of an underlying index due to foreign markets being closed before the NYSE opens or not being open for business on the same calendar days as a Bull Fund. A Bull Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in its underlying index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the underlying index. In addition, a Bull Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the underlying index. Each Bull Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Bull Fund, potentially resulting in the Bull Fund being over- or under-exposed to its underlying index. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the underlying index is impacted dynamically by the underlying index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that a Bull Fund will be perfectly exposed to its underlying index at the end of each day. The possibility of a Bull Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to its underlying index increases on days when the underlying index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Activities surrounding periodic underlying index reconstitutions and other underlying index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder a Bull Fund’s ability to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Daily Inverse Index Correlation/Tracking Risk
There is no guarantee that a Bear Fund will achieve a high degree of inverse correlation to its underlying index and therefore achieve its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of inverse correlation with the underlying index, a Bear Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep leverage consistent with its daily inverse leveraged investment objective. A Bear Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily inverse leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by a Bear Fund. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions or extreme volatility will also adversely affect a Bear Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. Because an underlying index may include foreign securities, a Bear Fund’s return may vary from a multiple of the performance of an underlying index due to foreign markets being closed before the NYSE opens or not being open for business on the same calendar days as a Bear Fund. A Bear Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in its underlying index, or its weighting of investment exposure to such stocks or industries may be different from that of the underlying index. In addition, a Bear Fund may invest in securities or financial instruments not included in the underlying index. A Bear Fund may be subject to large movements of assets
into and out of the Bear Fund, potentially resulting in the Bear Fund being over- or under-exposed to its underlying index. In addition, the target amount of portfolio exposure to the underlying index is impacted dynamically by the underlying index’s movement. Because of this, it is unlikely that a Bear Fund will be perfectly exposed to its underlying index at the end of each day. The possibility of a Bear Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to its underlying index increases on days when the underlying index is volatile near the close of the trading day. Activities surrounding periodic underlying index reconstitutions and other underlying index rebalancing or reconstitution events may hinder a Bear Fund’s ability to meet its daily inverse leveraged investment objective.
Valuation Time Risk
A Fund values its portfolio as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). In some cases, foreign markets may close before the NYSE opens or may not be open for business on the same calendar days as a Fund. As a result, the performance of a fund that tracks a foreign market index or an index that includes foreign securities can vary from the performance of that index.
Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk
Certain Funds may invest in, and/or have exposure to, the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, which may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company or ETF, a fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF. As a result, fund shareholders indirectly bear a fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company or ETF, in addition to the fees and expenses fund shareholders bear in connection with a fund’s own operations. As a shareholder, a fund must rely on the investment company or ETF to achieve its investment objective. A fund’s performance may be magnified positively or negatively by virtue of its investment in other investment companies or ETFs. If the investment company or ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of a fund’s investment will not perform as expected, thus affecting a fund’s performance and its correlation with its underlying index. In addition, because closed-end investment companies and ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium. Investments in such shares may be subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to a fund. Finally, because the value of closed-end investment company or ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, an investment adviser may not be able to liquidate a fund’s holdings in those shares at the most optimal price or time, adversely affecting a fund’s performance.
Aerospace and Defense Industry Risk
Companies in the aerospace and defense industries can be significantly affected by changes in government regulations and spending policies, economic conditions and industry consolidation. The aerospace industry in particular has recently
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been affected by adverse economic conditions and consolidation within the industry.
Banking Industry Risk
Investments in securities issued by, and/or having exposure to, companies engaged in the banking industry can be significantly affected by extensive governmental regulation, which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, and the interest rates and fees they can charge and amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds, and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively impact the sector. Banks may also be subject to severe price competition. The regional banking industry is highly competitive and thus, failure to maintain or increase market share may result in regional bank failures or mergers with larger, or multi-national banks.
Biotechnology Industry Risk
Companies in the biotechnology industry invest heavily in research and development which may not lead to commercially successful products. The biotech industry is also subject to increased governmental regulation which may delay or inhibit the release of new products. Many biotech companies are dependent upon their ability to use and enforce intellectual property rights and patents. Any impairment or expiration of such rights may have adverse financial consequences for these companies. Biotech stocks, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Biotech companies can be significantly affected by technological change and obsolescence, product liability lawsuits and consequential high insurance costs.
Canadian Securities Risk
A Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, Canadian securities. The United States is Canada’s largest trading and investment partner and the Canadian economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total two-way merchandise trade between the United States and Canada has more than doubled. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Canada’s dependency on the U.S. economy. Any downturn in the U.S or Mexican economic activity is likely to have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy. The Canadian economy is also dependent upon external trade with other key trading partners, including China and the European Union. In addition, Canada is a large supplier of natural resources (e.g., oil, natural gas and agricultural products). As a result, the Canadian economy is sensitive to fluctuations in certain commodity prices.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk
Because companies in the consumer discretionary sector manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer, the success of these companies is tied closely to the performance of the overall domestic and international economy, interest rates, competition and
consumer confidence. Success depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Also, companies in the consumer discretionary sector may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on a company’s profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes also can affect the demand for, and success of, consumer discretionary products in the marketplace.
Consumer Services Sector Risk
Investment in, and/or exposure to, the securities of companies in the consumer services industry includes the risk that since these companies provide services directly to consumers, these companies are impacted by competition and consumer confidence and are dependent on disposable household income and discretionary consumer spending. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes can impact demand for, and the success of, consumer service companies.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk
Consumer staples companies are subject to government regulations affecting their products which may negatively impact such companies’ performance. For instance, government regulations may affect the permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. Also, the success of food, beverages, household and personal product companies may be strongly affected by changing consumer tastes and/or interest, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting supply and demand, including performance of the overall domestic and global economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence and spending. In particular, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Credit Risk
A Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt security goes bankrupt or is unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay principal. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength or in an issuer’s or debt security’s credit rating also may affect a security’s value and thus have an impact on Fund performance. The degree of credit risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. Lower rated debt securities involve greater credit risk, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy.
Debt Instrument Risk
The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, changes in interest rates, actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall. The U.S. is experiencing historically low interest rate levels. However, economic recovery and the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative
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easing program increase the likelihood that interest rates will rise in the future. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of fixed-income securities to decrease and adversely impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and lead to increased volatility of fixed-income markets. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater impact on the value of debt instruments that have a longer duration. Returns on investments in debt instruments may trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Deflation Risk
In a period of sustained deflation, the inflation-indexed securities held by a Fund may not pay any income. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-indexed securities it issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee.
Emerging Markets Risk
Investments in, and/or exposure to, emerging markets instruments involve greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Risks of investing in emerging market countries include political or social upheaval, nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets. There may also be risks from an economy’s dependence on revenues from particular commodities or industries. In addition, currency transfer restrictions, limited potential buyers for such instruments, delays and disruption in settlement procedures and illiquidity or low volumes of transactions may make exits difficult or impossible at times. Additionally, emerging market countries may include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, security issues that are held by only a few investors, limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issuances or securities offerings may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information.
Energy Sector Risk
Energy securities include the securities of companies that engage in energy-related businesses, such as oil companies involved in the exploration, production, servicing, drilling and refining processes, and companies primarily involved in the production and mining of coal and other fuels used in the generation of consumable energy. Also included are gas distribution, gas pipeline and related companies. As a result, a Fund is subject to risks of legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting the energy sector. The prices of the securities of energy and energy services companies may fluctuate widely due to the supply and demand for both their specific products or services and energy products in general. The prices of energy product securities may be affected by changes in value and dividend yield, which depend largely on the price and supply of energy fuels, international political events relating to oil producing countries, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, and tax and other governmental regulatory policies. In addition, these companies are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims and risk of loss from terrorism and natural disasters.
European Economic Risk
The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (“EU”) requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including some, or all, of the European countries in which a Fund invests. The European financial markets experienced volatility and were adversely affected by concerns about economic downturns, credit rating downgrades, rising government debt levels and possible default on, or restructuring of, government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt and economy. These concerns have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including EU member countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries.
The announcement of the Referendum of the United Kingdom’s (the “UK”) Membership of the EU (referred to as Brexit), advising for the exit of the UK from the EU, could cause business disruptions and uncertainty and thus adversely impact the financial results and operations of various European companies and economies. The Referendum is non-binding, however, if it is passed into law, negotiations would commence to determine the future terms of the UK’s relationship with the EU, including the terms of trade between the UK and the EU. The effects of Brexit will depend on any agreements the UK makes to retain access to EU markets either during a transitional period or more permanently. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Additionally, Brexit could lead to global economic uncertainty and result in significant volatility in the global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations. There is also a risk that other EU member countries decide to exit the EU as more populist movements take shape across Europe.
Financials Sector Risk
Companies in the financials sector are often subject to extensive government regulation and intervention, which may adversely impact their activities, prices they may charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse or unintended consequences on companies in the financials sector. The impact of such regulation on any individual financial company or the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely impacted by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other relation markets. Profitability is largely dependent
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on the availability and cost of capital, and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers also can negatively impact the sector.
Frontier Markets Risk
Investments in, and/or exposure to, frontier markets instruments involve greater risks than investing in foreign instruments in general. Frontier markets are those emerging markets considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid. Investments in frontier markets generally are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in developed markets or traditional emerging markets. This is due to, among other things, smaller economies, less developed capital markets, greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments than typically found in more developed markets. Frontier markets are even more prone to economic shocks associated with political and economic risks than are emerging markets generally. Many frontier market countries may be dependent on commodities, foreign trade or foreign aid. As a result, those risks traditionally associated with investments in emerging markets may be more pronounced with respect to investments in frontier market economies.
Healthcare Sector Risk
The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection. The expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many healthcare companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and costly.
Industrials Sector Risk
Stock prices of issuers in the industrials sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrials sector products in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions will also affect the performance of investment in such issuers. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. and other government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by government defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government spending
budgets. Transportation companies, another component of the industrials sector, are subject to cyclical performance and therefore investment in such companies may experience occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Interest Rate Risk
Debt securities, and securities that provide exposure to debt securities, have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The U.S. is currently in a period of historically low interest rates and it is unclear how much longer interest rates will remain at their current levels. Due to recent events in the fixed-income markets, including the potential impact of the Federal Reserve Board tapering its quantitative easing program, a Fund may be subject to heightened interest rate risk as a result of a rise in interest rates. In addition, a Fund is subject to the risk that interest rates may exhibit increased volatility, which could cause the Fund’s NAV to fluctuate more. A decrease in fixed-income market maker capacity may act to decrease liquidity in the fixed-income markets and act to further increase volatility, affecting a Fund’s return. Changes or volatility in interest rates may adversely affect the performance of a Fund. In general, the price of a debt security may fall when interest rates rise and may rise when interest rates fall. Securities with longer maturities can be more sensitive to interest rate changes. In other words, the longer the maturity of a security, the greater the impact a change in interest rates could have on the security’s price. In addition, short-term and long-term interest rates do not necessarily move in the same amount or the same direction. Short-term securities tend to react to changes in short-term interest rates, and long-term securities tend to react to changes in long-term interest rates. The impact of an interest rate change may be significant for other asset classes as well, whether because of the impact of interest rates on economic activity or because of changes in the relative attractiveness of asset classes due to changes in interest rates. For instance, higher interest rates may make investments in debt securities more attractive, thus reducing investments in equities.
Italian Securities Risk
A Fund’s investment in, and/or exposure to, Italian issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risk specific to Italy. Italy’s economy is dependent upon external trade with other economies, specifically Germany, France, other Western European developed countries and the United States. As a result, Italy is dependent on the economies of these other countries and any change in the price or demand for Italy’s exports may have an adverse impact on its economy. Recently, the Italian economy, along with certain other European economies, has experienced significant volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturn and rising government debt levels. Interest rates on Italy’s debt may rise to levels that may make it difficult for it to service high debt levels without significant financial help from the European Union and could potentially lead to default. These events have adversely impacted the Italian economy, causing credit agencies to lower Italy’s
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sovereign debt rating and could decrease outside investment in Italian companies.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities Risk
Investment in, and/or exposure to, a significant portion of assets in securities rated below investment grade, otherwise known as “junk bonds” generally involves significantly greater risk of loss of your money than an investment in investment-grade bonds. Compared with issuers of investment-grade bonds, junk bonds are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and to be materially affected by these difficulties. Rising interest rates may compound these difficulties and reduce an issuer’s ability to repay principal and interest obligations. Issuers of lower-rated securities also have a greater risk of default or bankruptcy. High-yield securities may be less liquid than higher quality investments. A security whose credit rating has been lowered may be particularly difficult to sell.
Materials Sector Risk
Companies in the materials sector could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls and increased competition. The production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Companies in the materials sector also are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims, and may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations, and governmental regulations. This sector may also be affected by economic cycles, technical progress, labor relations, and government regulations.
Mexican Securities Risk
Investment in securities of Mexican issuers involves risks that may be greater than if the Fund’s investments were more geographically diverse. Mexico’s economy is heavily dependent on trading with key partners, including the United States and certain Latin American countries. As a result, Mexico is dependent on, among other things, the U.S. economy and any change in the price or demand for Mexican exports may have an adverse impact on the Mexican economy. Any increases or decreases in the volume of this trading, changes in taxes or tariffs, or variance in political relationships between those nations may impact the Mexican economy overall. Recent political developments in the U.S. have raised potential implications for the current trade arrangements between the U.S. and Mexico, which could negatively impact the Mexican economy.
Mexico has been destabilized by local insurrections, social upheavals, drug related violence, and a public health crisis related to the H1N1 influenza outbreak. Recently, Mexico experienced an outbreak of violence due to drug trafficking. Incidents involving Mexico’s security may have an adverse effect on the Mexican economy and cause uncertainty in its financial markets. Recently, Mexican elections have been contentious and have been very closely decided. Changes in political parties or other Mexican political events may affect the economy and cause instability. Historically, Mexico has experienced substantial economic instability from, among other things, economic volatility, high unemployment rates, periods of very high inflation and significant devaluation of the Mexican currency, the peso.
Additionally, investment in Mexico may be subject to any positive or adverse effects of the varying nature of its economic landscape with respect to expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, strengthened or lessened restrictions on, and government intervention in, international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, the impact on the economy as a result of civil war and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
Mining and Metal Industry Risk
Prices of gold, silver or other precious metals, and of gold, silver and other precious metal-related securities, historically have been very volatile. The high volatility of gold, silver and other precious metal prices may adversely affect the financial condition of companies involved with gold, silver and other precious metals. The production and sale of precious metals by governments or central banks or other larger holders can be affected by various economic, financial, social and political factors, which may be unpredictable and may have a significant impact on the supply and prices of precious metals. Additionally, producers of gold, silver or other precious metals are often concentrated in a small number of countries or regions. Economic and political conditions in those countries may have a direct effect on the production and marketing of gold, silver and other precious metals and on sales of central bank gold, silver and other precious metals holdings.
Some gold, silver and precious metals mining operation companies may hedge, to varying degrees, their exposure to falls in gold, silver and precious metals prices by selling forward future production. This may limit the company’s ability to benefit from future increases in the price of gold, silver or precious metals, thereby lowering returns to a Fund. Hedging techniques also have their own risk, including the possibility that a mining company or other party will be unable to meet its contractual obligations and potential margin requirements.
Other factors that may affect the prices of precious metals and securities related to them include changes in inflation, the outlook for inflation and changes in industrial and commercial demand for precious metals. Additionally, increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of mining and metal investments.
In addition, in many countries, the activities of companies engaged in mining are subject to the policies adopted by government officials and agencies and are subject to national and international political and economic developments. Moreover, political, social and economic conditions in many mining and metals producing countries are somewhat unsettled, which may pose certain risks to a Fund in addition to the risks described in “Emerging Markets Risk” and “Foreign Securities Risk” because the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in securities of issuers in such countries.
Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk
A Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, uncollateralized bonds issued by agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities of foreign governments. Bonds issued by these foreign government agencies, subdivisions or
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instrumentalities are generally only backed by the creditworthiness and reputation of the entities issuing the bonds and may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the foreign government. Moreover, a foreign government that explicitly provides its full faith and credit to a particular entity may be, due to changed circumstances, unable or unwilling to actually provide that support. If a non-U.S. agency is unable to meet its obligations, a Fund will be materially impacted. A non-U.S. agency’s operations and financial condition are influenced by the foreign government’s economic and other policies. Changes to the financial condition or the credit rating of a foreign government may cause the value of debt issued by that particular foreign government’s agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the trading of non-U.S. agency bonds may be less liquid and market prices may be more volatile than prices of U.S. agency bonds. Additional risks associated with non-U.S. agency investing include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, adverse changes in investment or change of control regulations, political instability, which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital.
Pharmaceutical Industry Risk
The profitability of securities of companies in the pharmaceutical industry is highly dependent on the development, procurement and marketing of drugs and the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights and other proprietary information. These companies may be significantly affected by such events as the expiration of patents or the loss of, or the inability to enforce, intellectual property rights. Research and other costs associated with developing or procuring new drugs and the related intellectual property rights can be significant, and the results of such research and expenditures is unpredictable. Many pharmaceutical companies face intense competition from new products and less costly generic products. In addition, the process for obtaining regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other governmental regulatory authorities is long and costly and there is no assurance that the necessary approvals will be obtained or maintained by these companies.
Additionally, companies in the pharmaceutical industry may be subject to expenses and losses from extensive litigation based on intellectual property, product liability and similar claims. These companies may be adversely affected by government regulation and changes in reimbursement rates from third-party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid and other government-sponsored programs, private health insurance plans and health maintenance organizations. The ability of pharmaceutical companies to commercialize current and any future products also depends in part on the extent reimbursement for the cost of such products and related treatments are available from these third party payors. A pharmaceutical company’s valuation may also be affected if one of its products proves to be unsafe, ineffective or unprofitable. The stock prices of companies in this sector have been, and will likely continue to be, volatile.
Prepayment Risk
Many types of debt securities, including mortgage securities, are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the security will repay principal prior to the maturity date. Securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. As a result, a Fund may have to reinvest its assets in mortgage securities or other debt securities that have lower yields.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk
An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by, or guaranteed by, a foreign sovereign government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by, or guaranteed by, an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and a Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt obligation, including U.S. Treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect a Fund. Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which a Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, may have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
Transportation Industry Risk
The transportation industry may be adversely affected by economic changes, increases in fuel and operating costs, labor relations and insurance costs. Transportation companies may also be subject to significant government regulation and oversight, which may adversely affect their businesses.
U.S. Government Securities Risk
A security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States is guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. The market prices for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate. In addition, because many types of U.S. government securities trade actively outside the United States, their prices may rise and fall as changes in global economic conditions affect the demand for these securities.
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Utilities Sector Risk
Utility companies are affected by supply and demand, operating costs, government regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. Although rate changes of a regulated utility usually fluctuate in approximate correlation with financing costs, due to political and regulatory factors, rate changes ordinarily occur only following a delay after the changes in financing costs. This factor will tend to favorably affect a regulated utility company’s earnings and dividends in times of decreasing costs, but conversely, will tend to adversely affect earnings and dividends when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility equity securities may tend to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utilities are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. These opportunities may permit certain utility companies to earn more than their traditional regulated rates of return. Some companies, however, may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. In addition, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, government intervention or other factors may render a utility company’s equipment unusable or obsolete which may negatively impact profitability.
Utility companies may be adversely affected by increases in fuel and other operating costs, high costs of borrowing to finance capital construction during inflationary periods, restrictions on operations and increased costs and delays associated with compliance with environmental and nuclear safety regulations, and difficulties involved in obtaining natural gas for resale or fuel for generating electricity at reasonable prices. Additionally, these companies may be subject to risks related to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, the effects of energy conservation and the effects of regulatory changes.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk
A Fund may invest in, and/or have exposure to, large-capitalization securities. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to market conditions. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-size companies. Over certain periods, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the performance of the overall markets.
Micro-Capitalization Company Risk
Stock prices of micro-capitalization companies are significantly more volatile, and more vulnerable to adverse business and economic developments than those of larger companies. In addition, micro-capitalization companies often have limited product lines, narrower markets for their goods and/or services
and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies, including companies which are considered small- or mid-capitalization. In addition, because these stocks are not well known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by a Fund. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of a Fund’s portfolio.
Mid-Capitalization Company Risk
The securities of mid-capitalization companies are subject to greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than the securities of more-established, larger capitalization companies. Mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more-established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by a Fund. As a result, the performance of mid-capitalization companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of a Fund’s portfolio.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Company Risk
The securities of small- and/or mid-capitalization companies are subject to greater risks and the possibility of greater price volatility than the securities of more established, larger capitalization companies. Small- and/or mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by a Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and/or mid-capitalization
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companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of a Fund’s portfolio.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk
Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of what a Fund owns and the Fund’s share price. Generally, when the U.S. Dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in that country loses value because that currency is worth fewer U.S. Dollars. Devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority also will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets.
Depositary Receipt Risk
To the extent a Fund invests in, or has exposure to, foreign companies, investment may be in the form of depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are receipts typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) are receipts issued in Europe that evidence a similar ownership arrangement. Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) are receipts issued throughout the world that evidence a similar arrangement. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities.
Depositary receipts may be purchased through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and a depositary, whereas a depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the depositary security. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of such facilities and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts of the deposited securities.
Fund investments in depositary receipts, which include ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, are deemed to be investments in foreign securities for purposes of a Fund’s investment strategy.
Foreign Securities Risk
Foreign instruments may involve greater risks than domestic instruments. As a result, a Fund’s returns and NAV may be affected to a large degree by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, interest rates, political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements in other countries. The laws and accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards in foreign countries typically are not as strict as they are in the United States, and there may be less public information available about foreign companies.
Foreign securities may involve additional risk, including, greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trade patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionists or retaliatory measures.
Geographic Concentration Risk
Investments in a particular country or geographic region may be particularly susceptible to political, diplomatic or economic conditions and regulatory requirements. As a result, a Fund may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund.
International Closed-Market Trading Risk
Because a Fund’s investments may be traded in markets that are closed when the Exchange is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current value of an underlying investment and last sale pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market), resulting in premiums or discounts to NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.
Adverse Market Conditions Risk
The performance of a Fund is designed to correlate to the performance of an underlying index. As a consequence, a Fund’s performance will suffer during conditions which are adverse to the Fund’s investment objective. For example, if a Bear Fund’s underlying index has risen on a given day, then a Bear Fund’s performance should fall. Conversely, if a Bear Fund’s underlying index has fallen on a given day, then a Bear Fund’s performance should rise. If a Bull Fund's underlying index has risen on a given day, then a Bull Fund's performance should rise. Conversely, if a Bull Fund's underlying index has fallen on a given day, then a Bull Fund's performance should also fall..
Adviser’s Investment Strategy Risk
The Adviser utilizes a quantitative methodology to select investments for each Fund. Although this methodology is designed to correlate each Bull Fund's daily performance with 300% of the daily performance of its underlying index and each Bear Fund's daily performance with -300% of the daily performance of its underlying index, there is no assurance that such methodology will be successful and will enable a Fund to achieve its investment objective.
Aggressive Investment Techniques Risk
Using investment techniques that may be considered aggressive may entail significantly higher than normal risk. Risks associated with the use of swaps, futures and forward contracts, and options include potentially dramatic price changes (losses) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security or index. These instruments may increase
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the volatility of a Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.
Commodity Pool Registration Risk
Under amended regulations promulgated by the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the Funds are considered commodity pools, and therefore each is subject to regulation under the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC rules. The Adviser is registered as a commodity pool operator and will manage the Funds in accordance with CFTC rules, as well as the rules that apply to registered investment companies, which includes registering the Funds as commodity pools. Registration as a commodity pool subjects the registrant to additional laws, regulations and enforcement policies, all of which may potentially increase compliance costs and may affect the operations and financial performance of the Funds.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk
An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, a Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk
Publicly-issued equity securities, including common stocks, are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which a Fund invests will cause the NAV of the Fund to fluctuate.
Gain Limitation Risk
Rafferty will attempt to position each Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not lose more than 90% of its NAV on a given day. The cost of such downside protection will be limitations on a Fund’s gains. As a consequence, a Fund’s portfolio may not be responsive to underlying index movements beyond 30% in a given day whether that movement is favorable or adverse to the Fund. For example, for a Bull Fund, if its underlying index were to gain 35%, a Bull Fund might be limited to a daily gain of 30% rather than 105%, which is 300% of the underlying index gain of 35%.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk
Daily rebalancing of a Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of a Fund’s shares on such exchanges as the NYSE Arca, Inc., could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). A Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the
short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of a Fund’s trading. As such, if a Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Investment Risk
An investment in a Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Liquidity Risk
Some securities held by a Fund, including derivatives, may be difficult to sell or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Illiquid securities may also be difficult to value. If a Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or at a price that is lower than Rafferty’s judgment of the security’s true market value, a Fund may be forced to sell the security at a loss. Such a situation may prevent a Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with its underlying index, thus adversely affecting Fund performance.
Market Risk
A Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. A Bull Fund typically would lose value on a day when its underlying index declines. A Bear Fund typically would lose value on a day when its underlying index increases.
Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity may negatively affect issuers, which could have an adverse effect on each Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government, Federal Reserve, or other government actors, which could include increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and lead to higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on a Fund. A Fund’s NAV could decline over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.
Money Market Instrument Risk
A Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Money market funds may be subject to credit risk with respect to the short-term debt instruments in which they invest. Depository accounts may be subject to credit risk with respect to the financial institution in which the depository account is held. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. There is no guarantee
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that money market instruments will maintain a stable value, and they may lose money.
Non-Diversification Risk
A Fund invests a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. A Fund’s NAV and total return may fluctuate more, or fall greater, in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund because the Fund may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. As a result, the gains or losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on a Fund’s NAV and may make a Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Regulatory Risk
Each Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape. In particular, there is no guarantee that the Bear Funds will be permitted to continue to engage in short sales, which are designed to earn the Bear Funds a profit from the decline of the price of a particular security, basket of securities or index.
Additional legislative or regulatory changes could occur that may materially and adversely affect each Fund. For example, the regulatory environment for derivative instruments in which a Fund may invest is evolving, and changes in the regulation or taxation of derivative instruments may materially and adversely affect the ability of a Fund to pursue its trading strategies. Similarly, the regulatory environment for leveraged funds generally also may evolve, and changes in the direct or indirect regulation of leveraged funds could have a material adverse effect on the ability of a Fund to pursue its investment objective or strategy. Such legislative or regulatory changes could pose additional risks and result in material adverse consequences to a Fund.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. A Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. Only Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with a Fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade like closed-end fund shares at a discount to NAV and possibly face delisting from the Exchange.
Market Price Variance Risk. Shares of a Fund that are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices rather than at NAV. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of a Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shareholders that purchase or sell Shares on the secondary market may trade Shares at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below or at NAV. A Fund will only issue or redeem shares in creation units, which are blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiplies thereof, to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with a Fund’s distributor. Given
the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed in creation units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of Shares should not be sustained. There may, however, be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly and a shareholder may trade shares at a premium or a discount to a Fund’s NAV. A Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with a Fund. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of a Fund.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility or other reasons. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange, and the listing requirements may be amended from time to time.
A Precautionary Note to Retail Investors. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), a limited trust company and securities depositary that serves as a national clearinghouse for the settlement of trades for its participating banks and broker-dealers, or its nominee, will be the registered owner of all outstanding Shares of each fund of the Trust. Your ownership of Shares will be shown on the records of DTC and the DTC Participant broker through whom you hold the Shares. THE TRUST WILL NOT HAVE ANY RECORD OF YOUR OWNERSHIP. Your account information will be maintained by your broker, who will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales of Shares, and tax information. Your broker also will be responsible for ensuring that you receive shareholder reports and other communications from a Fund whose Shares you own. Typically, you will receive other services (e.g., average basis information) only if your broker offers these services.
A Precautionary Note to Purchasers of Creation Units. You should be aware of certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly from the issuing Fund. Because new Shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a “distribution” of Shares could be occurring at any time. As a dealer, certain activities on your part could, depending on the circumstances, result in your being deemed a participant in the distribution, in a manner that could render you a statutory underwriter and subject you to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”). For example, you could be deemed a statutory underwriter if you purchase Creation Units from an issuing Fund, break them down into the constituent Shares and sell those Shares directly to customers, or if you choose to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. Whether a person is an underwriter depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could cause you to be deemed an underwriter. Dealers who are not
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“underwriters,” but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions), and thus dealing with Shares as part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act.
A Precautionary Note to Investment Companies. For purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”) each Fund is a registered investment company, and the acquisition of Shares by other investment companies is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) thereof.
The Trust and the Funds have obtained an exemptive order from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) allowing a registered investment company to invest in a
Fund beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain conditions, including that a registered investment company enters into a Participation Agreement with the Trust regarding the terms of the investment. Any investment company considering purchasing Shares of a Fund in amounts that would cause it to exceed the restrictions under Section 12(d)(1) should contact the Trust.
A Precautionary Note Regarding Unusual Circumstances. The Trust can postpone payment of redemption proceeds for any period during which (1) the Exchange is closed other than customary weekend and holiday closings, (2) trading on the Exchange is restricted, as determined by the SEC, (3) any emergency circumstances exist, as determined by the SEC, or (4) the SEC by order permits for the protection of shareholders of a Fund.
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About Your Investment
Share Price of the Funds
A fund’s share price is known as its NAV. Each Fund’s share price (other than the Fixed Income Funds) is calculated as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“Valuation Time”), each day the NYSE is open for business (“Business Day”). The NYSE is open for business Monday through Friday, except in observation of the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The NYSE may close early on the business day before each of these holidays and on the day after Thanksgiving Day. NYSE holiday schedules are subject to change without notice.
Each Fixed Income Fund also calculates its NAV as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time each Business Day. However, on days that the bond markets close all day, which currently includes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day (a “Bond Market Holiday”), the Fixed Income Funds do not calculate their NAVs, even if the NYSE is open for business. On such days, orders for purchase or redemption will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday. Similarly, on days that the bond markets close early but the NYSE does not (usually at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, and which currently include the Friday before Memorial Day and New Year’s Eve), the Fixed Income Funds treat the portion of the day that the bond markets are closed as a Bond Market Holiday and calculates their NAVs as of the recommended closing time for the bond markets, which may be before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, subject to the discretion of the Adviser. In such instances, orders for purchase or redemption that are received prior to the close of bond markets will receive the NAV calculated at the time of the bond markets closure, whereas orders for purchase or redemption that are received thereafter will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday.
If the exchange or market on which a Fund’s investments are primarily traded closes early, the NAV may be calculated prior to its normal calculation time. Creation/redemption transaction order time cutoffs would also be accelerated.
The value of a Fund’s assets that trade in markets outside the United States or in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar may fluctuate when foreign markets are open but the Fund is not open for business.
Share price is calculated by dividing a Fund’s net assets by its shares outstanding. In calculating its NAV, each Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. If such information is not available for a security held by a Fund, is determined to be unreliable, or (to the Adviser’s knowledge) does not reflect a significant event occurring after the close of the market on which the security principally trades (but before the close of trading on the NYSE), the security will be valued at fair value estimates by the Adviser under guidelines established by the Board of Trustees. Foreign securities, currencies and other assets denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. Dollars at the exchange rate of such currencies against the U.S. Dollar, as provided by an independent pricing service or reporting agency. Each Fund also relies on a pricing service in circumstances where the U.S. securities markets exceed a pre-determined threshold to value foreign securities held in a Fund’s portfolio. The pricing service, its methodology or the threshold may change from time to time. Debt obligations with maturities of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost.
Fair Value Pricing. Securities are priced at a fair value as determined by the Adviser, under the oversight of the Board of Trustees, when reliable market quotations are not readily available, the Funds' pricing service does not provide a valuation for such securities, the Funds' pricing service provides a valuation that in the judgment of the Adviser does not represent fair value, the Adviser believes that the market price is stale, or an event that affects the value of an instrument (a “Significant Event”) has occurred since closing prices were established, but before the time as of which a Fund calculates its NAV. Examples of Significant Events may include: (1) events that relate to a single issuer or to an entire market sector; (2) significant fluctuations in domestic or foreign markets; or (3) occurrences not tied directly to the securities markets, such as natural disasters, armed conflicts, or significant government actions. If such Significant Events occur, the Funds may value the instruments at fair value, taking into account such events when it calculates each Fund’s NAV. Fair value determinations are made in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. In addition, the Funds may also fair value an instrument if trading in a particular instrument is halted and does not resume prior to the closing of the exchange or other market.
Attempts to determine the fair value of securities introduce an element of subjectivity to the pricing of securities. As a result, the price of a security determined through fair valuation techniques may differ from the price quoted or published by other sources and may not accurately reflect the market value of the security when trading resumes. If a reliable market quotation becomes available for a security formerly valued through fair valuation techniques, Rafferty compares the market quotation to the fair value price to evaluate the effectiveness of the Funds' fair valuation procedures and will use that market value in the next calculation of NAV.
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Rule 12b-1 Fees
The Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services.
No 12b-1 fees are currently paid by a Fund, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of each Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
Short-Term Trading
Rafferty expects a significant portion of the Funds' assets to come from professional money managers and investors who use the Funds as part of “asset allocation” and “market timing” investment strategies. These strategies often call for frequent trading to take advantage of anticipated changes in market conditions. Frequent trading of Shares could increase the rate of creations and redemptions of Shares and a Fund’s portfolio turnover, which could involve correspondingly adverse tax consequences to a Fund’s shareholders. Although each Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase orders or suspend the offering of Shares, each Fund does not currently impose any trading restrictions on frequent trading nor actively monitor for trading abuses.
Creations, Redemptions and Transaction Fees
Creation Units. Investors such as market makers, large investors and institutions who wish to deal in Creation Units directly with a Fund must have entered into an authorized participant agreement with the principal underwriter and the transfer agent, or purchase through a dealer that has entered into such an agreement. These investors are known as “Authorized Participants.” Set forth below is a brief description of the procedures applicable to the purchase and redemption of Creation Units.
Purchase of a Bull Fund. To purchase Creation Units directly from a Bull Fund, you must deposit with the Fund a basket of securities and/or cash. Each Business Day, prior to the opening of trading on the Exchange, an agent of the Fund (“Index Receipt Agent”) will make available through the NSCC a list of the names and number of shares of each security, if any, to be included in that day’s creation basket (“Deposit Securities”). The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Creation Unit will change from time to time. Each Bull Fund reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount to be added to the Balancing Amount (defined below) to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, eligible for transfer through the clearing process (discussed below) or the Federal Reserve System or eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting. For such custom orders, “cash in lieu” may be added to the Balancing Amount (defined below). The Balancing Amount and any “cash in lieu” must be paid to the Trust on or before the third Business Day following the Transmittal Date. You must also pay a Transaction Fee, described below, in cash.
In addition to the in-kind deposit of securities, Authorized Participants will either pay to, or receive from, a Bull Fund an amount of cash referred to as the “Balancing Amount.” The Balancing Amount is the amount equal to the differential, if any, between the market value of the Deposit Securities and the NAV of a Creation Unit. Each Bull Fund will publish, on a daily basis, information about the previous day’s Balancing Amount.
All purchase orders for Creation Units must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. Purchase orders will be processed either through a manual clearing process run at the DTC (“Manual Clearing Process”) or through an enhanced clearing process (“Enhanced Clearing Process”) that is available only to those DTC participants that also are participants in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). Authorized Participants that do not use the Enhanced Clearing Process will be charged a higher Transaction Fee (discussed below). A purchase order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent’s automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day’s NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day.
Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Trust cash in an amount up to 115% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities. Any such transaction effected with the Trust must be effected using the Manual Clearing Process consistent with the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement.
Redemption from a Bull Fund. Redemption proceeds will be paid either in cash or in-kind with a basket of securities (“Redemption Securities”). Purchase orders will be processed either through a Manual Clearing Process or through Enhanced Clearing Process that is available only to those DTC participants that also are participants in the Continuous Net Settlement System
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of the NSCC. Authorized Participants that do not use the Enhanced Clearing Process will be charged a higher Transaction Fee (discussed below). In most cases, Redemption Securities will be the same as Deposit Securities on a given day. There will be times, however, when the Deposit and Redemption Securities differ. The composition of the Redemption Securities will be available through the NSCC. Each Bull Fund reserves the right to honor a redemption request with a non-conforming redemption basket.
If the value of a Creation Unit is higher than the value of the Redemption Securities, you will receive from a Bull Fund a Balancing Amount in cash. If the value of a Creation Unit is lower than the value of the Redemption Securities, you will be required to pay to the Bull Fund a Balancing Amount in cash. If you are receiving a Balancing Amount, the amount due will be reduced by the amount of the applicable Transaction Fee.
As with purchases, redemptions may be processed either through the Manual Clearing Process or the Enhanced Clearing Process. A redemption order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent’s automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day’s NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day.
An investor may request a redemption in cash, which a Bull Fund may in its sole discretion permit. Investors that elect to receive cash in lieu of one or more of the Redemption Securities are subject to an additional charge. Redemptions of Creation Units for cash (when available) and/or outside of the Enhanced Clearing Process also require the payment of an additional charge.
Purchase of a Bear Fund. Each Bear Fund only accepts cash to purchase Creation Units. The purchaser must transfer cash in an amount equal to the value of the Creation Unit(s) purchased and the applicable Transaction Fee. All purchase orders for Creation Units must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. Purchase orders will be processed either through a manual clearing process run at the DTC (“Manual Clearing Process”) or through an enhanced clearing process (“Enhanced Clearing Process”) that is available only to those DTC participants that also are participants in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). Authorized Participants that do not use the Enhanced Clearing Process will be charged a higher Transaction Fee (discussed below). A purchase order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent’s automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Participant Agreement in order to receive that day’s NAV per Share. The Trust will deliver Shares of a Bear Fund upon payment of cash to the Trust on or before the third Business Day following the Transmittal Date consistent with the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement.
Redemption from a Bear Fund. Redemption proceeds will be paid in cash. As with purchases, redemptions may be processed either through the Manual Clearing Process or the Enhanced Clearing Process. A redemption order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent’s automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Participant Agreement in order to receive that day’s NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day.
Transaction Fees on Creation and Redemption Transactions. Each Fund will impose Transaction Fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. There is a fixed and a variable component to the total Transaction Fee on transactions in Creation Units. A fixed Transaction Fee is applicable to each creation and redemption transaction, regardless of the number of Creation Units transacted. Purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units of a Fund effected through the Manual Clearing Process are required to pay an additional charge to compensate for brokerage and other expenses. In addition, purchasers of Creation Units are responsible for payment of the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Trust. A variable Transaction Fee based upon the value of each Creation Unit also is applicable to each purchase or redemption transaction. However, in no instance will the fees charged exceed 2% of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction. Redeemers of Creation Units are responsible for the costs of transferring securities from the Trust. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may pay additional fees for such services. In addition, Rafferty may, from time to time, at its own expense, compensate purchasers of Creation Units who have purchased substantial amounts of Creation Units and other financial institutions for administrative or marketing services.
The table below summarizes the components of the Transaction Fees.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Fixed Transaction Fee Maximum
Additional
Charge for
Purchases
and
Redemptions*
  In-Kind Cash
NSCC Outside NSCC Outside
NSCC
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
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Direxion Shares ETF Trust Fixed Transaction Fee Maximum
Additional
Charge for
Purchases
and
Redemptions*
  In-Kind Cash
NSCC Outside NSCC Outside
NSCC
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares $250 Up to 300% of NSCC Amount $250 Up to 2.00%
Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares N/A N/A $250 Up to 2.00%
* As a percentage of the amount invested.
How to Buy and Sell Shares
Each Fund issues and redeems Shares only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.”
Most investors will buy and sell Shares of each Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of each Fund that are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. Although Shares are generally purchased and sold in “round lots” of 100 Shares, brokerage firms typically permit investors to purchase or sell Shares in smaller “oddlots” at no per-share price differential.
When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser may pay the intermediary for educational training programs, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other administrative services related to a Fund. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
The Funds’ Exchange trading symbols are as follows:
Fund Symbol
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares  
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 254

 

Fund Symbol
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares DFEN
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares DUSL
Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares TPOR
Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares UTSL
Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares MEXX
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares EMBU
Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares  
Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares  
Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share.
Investors may acquire Shares directly from each Fund, and shareholders may tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, only in Creation Units, as discussed in the “Creations, Redemptions and Transaction Fees” section above. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares.
For information about acquiring Shares through a secondary market purchase, please contact your broker. If you wish to sell Shares of a Fund on the secondary market, you must do so through your broker.
Book Entry. Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. DTC or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares of the Funds and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.
Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.
Management of the Funds
Rafferty provides investment management services to the Funds. Rafferty has been managing investment companies since 1997. Rafferty is located at 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019. As of March 31, 2017, the Adviser had approximately $12.5 billion in assets under management.
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Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust and Rafferty, each Fund pays Rafferty at an annualized rate based on a percentage of each Fund's daily net assets of 0.75%.
A discussion regarding the basis on which the Board of Trustees approved the investment advisory agreement for the Funds will be included in the Funds' Semi-Annual Report for the period ended April 30, 2017.
Rafferty has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with each Fund. Under this Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse each Fund for Other Expenses through September 1, 2018, to the extent that a Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s daily net assets (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses).
Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by a Fund within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. Solely at Rafferty’s option and discretion, Rafferty may pay, reimburse or otherwise assume one or more of the excluded expenses, in which case such expense will be subject to reimbursement by Rafferty in accordance with the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time with the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Paul Brigandi and Tony Ng are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds. An investment trading team of Rafferty employees assists Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng in the day-to-day management of the Funds subject to their primary responsibility and oversight. The Portfolio Managers work with the investment trading team to decide the target allocation of each Fund’s investments and on a day-to-day basis, an individual portfolio trader executes transactions for the Funds consistent with the target allocation. The members of the investment trading team rotate periodically among the various series of the Trust, including the Funds, so that no single individual is assigned to a specific Fund for extended periods of time.
Mr. Brigandi has been a Portfolio Manager at Rafferty since June 2004. Mr. Brigandi was previously involved in the equity trading training program for Fleet Boston Financial Corporation from August 2002 to April 2004. Mr. Brigandi is a 2002 graduate of Fordham University.
Mr. Ng has been a Portfolio Manager at Rafferty since April 2006. Mr. Ng was previously a Team Leader in the Trading Assistant Group with Goldman Sachs from 2004 to 2006. He was employed with Deutsche Asset Management from 1998 to 2004. Mr. Ng graduated from State University at Buffalo in 1998.
The Funds' Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") provides additional information about the investment team members’ compensation, other accounts they manage and their ownership of securities in the Funds.
Portfolio Holdings
A description of the Funds' policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds' portfolio securities is available in the Funds' SAI.
other service providers
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Distributor”) serves as the Funds' distributor. U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC serves as the Funds' administrator. Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”) serves as the Funds' transfer agent, fund accountant, custodian and index receipt agent. The Distributor is not affiliated with Rafferty or BNYM.
Distributions
Fund Distributions. Each Fund pays out dividends from its net investment income, and distributes any net capital gains, if any, to its shareholders at least annually. Each Fund is authorized to declare and pay capital gain distributions in additional Shares or in cash. A Fund may have extremely high portfolio turnover, which may cause it to generate significant amounts of taxable income. Each Fund will generally need to distribute net short-term capital gain to satisfy certain tax requirements. As a result of the Funds' high portfolio turnover, they could need to make larger and/or more frequent distributions than traditional unleveraged ETFs.
Dividend Reinvestment Service. Brokers may make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service (“Reinvestment Service”) available to their customers who are shareholders of a Fund. If the Reinvestment Service is used with respect to a Fund, its distributions of both net income and capital gains will automatically be reinvested in additional and fractional Shares thereof purchased in the secondary market. Without the Reinvestment Service, investors will receive Fund distributions in
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 256

 

cash, except as noted above under “Fund Distributions.” To determine whether the Reinvestment Service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using the service, consult your broker. Fund shareholders should be aware that brokers may require them to adhere to specific procedures and timetables to use the Reinvestment Service.
Taxes
As with any investment, you should consider the tax consequences of buying, holding, and disposing of Shares. The tax information in this Prospectus is only a general summary of some important federal tax considerations generally affecting a Fund and its shareholders. No attempt is made to present a complete explanation of the federal tax treatment of the Funds' activities, and this discussion is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Accordingly, potential investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers for more detailed information and for information regarding any state, local, or foreign taxes applicable to the Funds and to an investment in Shares.
Fund distributions to you and your sale of your Shares will have tax consequences to you unless you hold your Shares through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement arrangement, such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or 401(k) plan.
Each Fund intends to qualify each taxable year for taxation as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. If a Fund so qualifies and satisfies certain distribution requirements, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on income that is distributed in a timely manner to its shareholders in the form of income dividends or capital gain distributions.
Taxes on Distributions. Dividends from a Fund’s investment company taxable income generally, the sum of net investment income, the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions, if any, all determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid will be taxable to you as ordinary income to the extent of its earnings and profits, whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. However, dividends a Fund pays to you that are attributable to its “qualified dividend income” (i.e., dividends it receives on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations with respect to which it satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions) generally will be taxed to you, if you are an individual, trust, or estate and satisfy those restrictions with respect to your Shares, for federal income tax purposes, at the rates of 15% or 20% for such shareholders with taxable income exceeding certain thresholds (which will be indexed for inflation annually). A portion of a Fund’s dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations the eligible portion may not exceed the aggregate dividends the Fund receives from domestic corporations subject to federal income tax (excluding real estate investment trusts) and excludes dividends from foreign corporations subject to similar restrictions; however, dividends a corporate shareholder deducts pursuant to that deduction are subject indirectly to the federal alternative minimum tax. No Fund expects to earn a significant amount of income that would qualify for those maximum rates or that deduction.
Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) that it recognizes on sales or exchanges of capital assets (“capital gain distributions”), if any, will be taxable to you as long-term capital gains, at the maximum rates mentioned above if you are an individual, trust, or estate, regardless of your holding period for the Shares on which the distributions are paid and regardless of whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. A Fund’s capital gain distributions may vary considerably from one year to the next as a result of its investment activities and cash flows and the performance of the markets in which it invests. No Fund expects to earn a significant amount of net capital gain.
Distributions in excess of a Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, if any, first will reduce your adjusted tax basis in your Shares in the Fund and, after that basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain. That capital gain will be long-term capital gain, and thus will be taxed at the maximum rates mentioned above if you are an individual, trust, or estate if the distributions are attributable to Shares you held for more than one year.
Investors should be aware that the price of Shares at any time may reflect the amount of a forthcoming dividend or capital gain distribution, so if they purchase Shares shortly before the record date therefor, they will pay full price for the Shares and receive some part of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution even though it represents a partial return of invested capital.
In general, distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year when they are paid. However, certain distributions paid in January may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.
Because of the possibility of high portfolio turnover, the Funds may generate significant amounts of taxable income. Accordingly, the Funds may need to make larger and/or more frequent distributions than traditional unleveraged ETFs. A substantial portion of that income typically will be short-term capital gain, which will generally be treated as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders.
Fund distributions to tax-deferred or qualified plans, such as an IRA, retirement plan or pension plan, generally will not be taxable. However, distributions from such plans will be taxable to the individual participant notwithstanding the character
257 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

of the income earned by the qualified plan. Please consult a tax adviser for a more complete explanation of the federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in a Fund through such a plan.
Taxes When Shares are Sold. Generally, you will recognize taxable gain or loss if you sell or otherwise dispose of your Shares. Any gain arising from such a disposition generally will be treated as long-term capital gain if you held the Shares for more than one year, taxable at the maximum rates (15% or 20%) mentioned above if you are an individual, trust, or estate; otherwise, the gain will be treated as short-term capital gain. However, any capital loss arising from the disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of capital gain distributions, if any, received with respect to those Shares. In addition, all or a portion of any loss recognized on a sale or exchange of Shares of a Fund will be disallowed to the extent other Shares of the same Fund are purchased (whether through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of the sale or exchange; in that event, the basis in the newly purchased Shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Holders of Creation Units. A person who purchases Shares of a Bull Fund by exchanging securities for a Creation Unit generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Unit and the person’s aggregate basis in the exchanged securities, adjusted for any Balancing Amount paid or received. A shareholder who redeems a Creation Unit generally will recognize gain or loss to the same extent and in the same manner as described in the immediately preceding paragraph.
Miscellaneous. Backup Withholding. A Fund must withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury 28% of dividends and capital gain distributions otherwise payable to any individual or certain other non-corporate shareholder who fails to certify that the social security or other taxpayer identification number furnished to the Fund is correct or who furnishes an incorrect number (together with the withholding described in the next sentence, “backup withholding”). Withholding at that rate also is required from a Fund’s dividends and capital gain distributions otherwise payable to such a shareholder who is subject to backup withholding for any other reason. Backup withholding is not an additional tax, and any amounts so withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s federal income tax liability or refunded.
Additional Tax. An individual must pay a 3.8% federal tax on the lesser of (1) the individual’s “net investment income,” which generally includes dividends, interest, and net gains from the disposition of investment property (including dividends and capital gain distributions a Fund pays and net gains realized on the sale or redemption of Shares), or (2) the excess of the individual’s “modified adjusted gross income” over a threshold amount ($250,000 for married persons filing jointly and $200,000 for single taxpayers). This tax is in addition to any other taxes due on that income. A similar tax will apply for those years to estates and trusts. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers regarding the effect, if any, this provision may have on their investment in Fund shares.
Basis Determination. A shareholder who wants to use the average basis method for determining basis in Shares he or she acquires after December 31, 2011 (“Covered Shares”), must elect to do so in writing (which may be electronic) with the broker through which he or she purchased the Shares. A shareholder who wishes to use a different IRS-acceptable method for basis determination (e.g., a specific identification method) may elect to do so. Fund shareholders are urged to consult with their brokers regarding the application of the basis determination rules to them.
You may also be subject to state and local taxes on Fund distributions and dispositions of Shares.
Non-U.S. Shareholders. “A “non-U.S. shareholder” is an investor that, for federal tax purposes, is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign corporation or a foreign estate or trust. Except where discussed otherwise, the following disclosure assumes that a non-U.S. shareholder’s ownership of Shares is not effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. shareholder in the United States and does not address non-U.S. shareholders who are present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may be different from those described herein. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in a Fund.
Withholding. Dividends paid by a Fund to non-U.S. shareholders will be subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income (other than “qualified interest income” or “qualified short-term capital gains,” as described below). In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN (or substitute form) certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder who provides an IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation’s earnings and profits attributable to such dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate).
A non-U.S. shareholder who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate. See the discussion of backup withholding under “Miscellaneous” above.
Exemptions from Withholding. In general, federal income tax will not apply to gain realized on the sale or other disposition of Shares or to any Fund distributions reported as capital gain dividends, short-term capital gain dividends, or interest-related dividends.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 258

 

“ Short-term capital gain dividends” are dividends that are attributable to “qualified short-term gain” a Fund realizes (generally, the excess of a Fund’s net short-term capital gain over long-term capital loss for a taxable year, computed with certain adjustments). “Interest-related dividends” are dividends that are attributable to “qualified net interest income” from U.S. sources. Depending on its circumstances, a Fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as short-term capital gain dividends and interest-related dividends and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. To qualify for the exemption, a non-U.S. shareholder will need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or substitute form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if a Fund designates the payment as a short-term capital gain dividend or an interest-related dividend. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). Under FATCA, “foreign financial institutions” (“FFIs”) or “non-financial foreign entities” (“NFFEs”) that are Fund shareholders may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on (1) income dividends, and (2) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds of a redemption of Shares a Fund pays after December 31, 2018. As discussed more fully in the Funds' SAI under “Taxes,” the FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided (a) by an FFI, if it reports certain information regarding direct and indirect ownership of financial accounts U.S. persons hold with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it certifies as such and, in certain circumstances, that (i) it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) it does have such owners and reports information relating to them to the withholding agent. The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (“IGAs”) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA; entities in those countries may be required to comply with the terms of the IGA instead of Treasury regulations. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax advisers regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation and the impact thereof on their investment in a Fund.
More information about taxes is in the Funds' SAI.
Additional Information
The Trust enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, which may include, among others, the Funds' investment adviser, custodian, and transfer agent, who provide services to the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to any such contractual arrangements and are not intended beneficiaries of those contractual arrangements, and those contractual arrangements are not intended to create in any shareholder any right to enforce them against the service providers or to seek any remedy under them against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the Trust.
This Prospectus provides information concerning the Funds that you should consider in determining whether to purchase Fund shares. Neither this Prospectus nor the SAI is intended, or should be read, to be or give rise to an agreement or contract between the Trust or the Funds and any investor, or to give rise to any rights in any shareholder or other person other than any rights under federal or state law that may not be waived.
Index Licensors
Bloomberg Barclays Index. The Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares and the Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares, (collectively “the Funds),” is/are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Barclays Capital. Barclays Capital makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Funds particularly or the ability of the Barclays Capital Index to track general bond market performance. Barclays Capital’s only relationship to Direxion and the Funds is/are the licensing of the Barclays Capital Index which is determined, composed and calculated by Barclays Capital without regard to Direxion or the Funds. Barclays Capital has no obligation to take the needs of Direxion, the Funds or the owners of the Funds into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Barclays Capital Index. Barclays Capital is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Funds to be issued. Barclays Capital has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Funds.
BARCLAYS CAPITAL SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY TO LICENSEE OR TO THIRD PARTIES FOR THE QUALITY, ACCURACY AND/OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN OR FOR INTERRUPTIONS IN THE DELIVERY OF THE INDEX. BARCLAYS CAPITAL MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, OWNERS OF THE FUND(S) OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. BARCLAYS CAPITAL MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. BARCLAYS CAPITAL SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN.
259 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

Dow Jones Indices. Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares, Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares, Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares, Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares, Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares and the Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares is a product of Dow Jones Indexes, a licensed trademark of CME Group Index Services LLC (“CME”), and has been licensed for use. “Dow Jones®” and the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index, Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index and the Dow Jones Transportation Average Index are service marks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings, LLC (“Dow Jones”) and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by Direxion Shares ETF Trust. Direxion Shares ETF Trust’s Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares, Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares, Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares, Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares, Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares and the Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares, based on the Dow Jones Index, are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by CME Indexes, Dow Jones or their respective affiliates, and CME Indexes, Dow Jones and their respective affiliates make no representation regarding the advisability of trading in such products.
EURO STOXX Index. The EURO STOXX 50® Index is the intellectual property (including registered trademarks) of STOXX Limited, Zurich, Switzerland (“STOXX”), Deutsche Börse Group or their licensors, which is used under license. The Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares and the Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bear 3X Shares are neither sponsored nor promoted, distributed or in any other manner supported by STOXX, Deutsche Börse Group or their licensors, research partners or data providers and STOXX, Deutsche Börse Group and their licensors, research partners or data providers do not give any warranty, and exclude any liability (whether in negligence or otherwise) with respect thereto generally or specifically in relation to any errors, omissions or interruptions in the EURO STOXX 50® Index or its data.
J.P. Morgan Index. The Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares (the “Financial Product”) is not in any way sponsored, sold or promoted by JPMorgan Chase & Co and/or any of its affiliates (collectively “J.P. Morgan”). J.P. Morgan is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, any aspect of the structuring of any attribute of the Financial Product, the determination of the timing of the offering of the Financial Product, the pricing of the Financial Product, or in the manner of operation of the Financial Product. J.P. Morgan has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Financial Product. All information provided herein regarding the J.P. Morgan Indexes (the “Indices”), including without limitation, the levels of the Indices, is provided for informational purposes only. J.P. Morgan does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the Indices and/or the completeness or accuracy or any other information furnished in connection with the Indices. The Indices are the exclusive property of J.P. Morgan and J.P. Morgan retains all property rights therein. Nothing herein constitutes, or forms part of, an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument, including of the Financial Product, or as an official confirmation of any transaction, or a valuation or price for the Indices or the Financial Product. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as a J.P. Morgan recommendation to adopt any investment strategy or as legal, tax of accounting advice. J.P. Morgan makes no express or implied representations or warranties with respect to the Indices and/or the Financial Product, including but not limited to regarding the advisability of investing in securities or financial products generally and/or the Financial Products specifically, or the advisability of any of the Indices to track investment opportunities in the financial markets or otherwise achieve their objective. J.P. Morgan hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Indices and the Financial Product. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall J.P. Morgan have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) to any person, including but not limited to, for any statements contained in any offering document or any other materials used to describe the Indices and/or the Financial Product, any error in the pricing or otherwise, of the Indices and/or the Financial Product and J.P. Morgan shall not be under any obligation to advise any person of any error therein.
MSCI Indices. The underlying indices for the Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares, Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares, Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares, Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares, Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares and the Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares are the MSCI Canada Index, MSCI Italy 25/50 Index and the MSCI Mexico IMI 25/50 Index. The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc. (“MSCI”), any of its affiliates, any of its information providers or any other third party involved in, or related to, compiling, computing or creating any MSCI Index (collectively, the “MSCI Parties”). The MSCI Indices are the exclusive property of MSCI. MSCI and the MSCI Indices names are service marks of MSCI or its affiliates and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by the Trust. None of the MSCI Parties makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the issuer or shareholders of the Funds or any other person or entity regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Funds particularly or the ability of any MSCI Index to track corresponding stock market performance. MSCI or its affiliates are the licensors of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names and of the MSCI Indices which are determined, composed and calculated by MSCI without regard to the Funds or the issuer or shareholders of the Funds or any other person or entity into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the MSCI Indices. None of the MSCI Parties are responsible for, or has participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Funds to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by or the consideration into which the Funds is/are redeemable. Further, none of the MSCI Parties has any obligation or liability to the issuer or owners of the Funds or any other person or entity in connection with the administration, marketing or offering of the Funds.
Although MSCI shall obtain information for inclusion in or for use in the calculation of the MSCI Indices from sources that MSCI considers reliable, none of the MSCI Parties warrants or guarantees the originality, accuracy and/or the completeness
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 260

 

of any MSCI Index or any data included therein. None of the MSCI Parties makes any warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the issuer of the Funds, shareholders of the Funds, or any other person or entity, from the use of any MSCI Index or any data included therein. None of the MSCI Parties shall have any liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions of, or in connection with, any MSCI Index or any data included therein. Further, none of the MSCI Parties makes any express or implied warranties of any kind, and the MSCI Parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the MSCI Indices and any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any of the MSCI Parties have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages. No purchaser, seller or holder of this security, product or fund, or any other person or entity, should use or refer to any MSCI trade name, trademark or service mark to sponsor, endorse, market or promote this security without first contacting MSCI to determine whether MSCI’s permission is required. Under no circumstances may any person or entity claim any affiliation with MSCI without the prior written permission of MSCI.
NYSE Index. Neither the Trust nor the Fund(s) are sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by NYSE EURONEXT or its affiliates (“NYSE EURONEXT”). NYSE EURONEXT makes no representation or warranty regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally, in the Fund(s) particularly, or the ability of the Dynamic Pharmaceutical Intellidex Index (“NYSE Index”) to track general stock market performance.
NYSE EURONEXT MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE NYSE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. IN NO EVENT SHALL NYSE EURONEXT HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Standard and Poor’s Indices. The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index, Consumer Staples Select Sector Index, Industrials Select Sector Index, Utilities Select Sector Index and the S&P Metals & Mining Select Industry Index (the “S&P Indices”) is/are products of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (“SPDJI”), and has/have been licensed for use by the Trust. Standard & Poor’s®, S&P® and S&P 500® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”); and these trademarks have been licensed for use by SPDJI and sublicensed for certain purposes by the Trust. The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Funds particularly or the ability of the S&P Indices to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to the Trust with respect to the S&P Indices is the licensing of such Index(es) and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices or its licensors. The S&P Indices is/are determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to the Trust or the Funds. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation to take the needs of the Trust or the owners of the Funds into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the S&P Indices. S&P Dow Jones Indices is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of the Funds or the timing of the issuance or sale of the Funds or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Funds are to be converted into cash, surrendered or redeemed, as the case may be. S&P Dow Jones Indices has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Funds. There is no assurance that investment products based on the S&P Indices will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC is not an investment advisor. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CME Group Inc. and its affiliates may independently issue and/or sponsor financial products based on the S&P 500 Index and other S&P proprietary indices unrelated to the Funds currently being issued by the Trust, but which may be similar to and competitive with the Funds. CME Group Inc. is an indirect shareholder of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC.
S&P DOW JONES INDICES DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE S&P INDICES OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE TRUST, OWNERS OF THE FUNDS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY SELECT SECTOR INDEX, CONSUMER STAPLES SELECT SECTOR INDEX, INDUSTRIALS SELECT SECTOR INDEX, UTILITIES SELECT SECTOR INDEX AND THE S&P METALS & MINING SELECT INDUSTRY INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBLITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND THE TRUST, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
261 Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus

 

Financial Highlights
No financial information is available for the Funds because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus.
Direxion Shares ETF Trust Prospectus 262

 

Prospectus
1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor New York, New York 10019 866-476-7523
More Information on the Direxion Shares Etf Trust
Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”):
The Funds' SAI contains more information on each Fund and its investment policies. The SAI is incorporated in this Prospectus by reference (meaning it is legally part of this Prospectus). A current SAI is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders:
The Funds' reports will provide additional information on the Funds' investment holdings, performance data and a letter discussing the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Funds' performance during that period.
To Obtain the SAI or Fund Reports Free of Charge:
Write to: Direxion Shares ETF Trust
  1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor
New York, New York 10019
Call: 866-476-7523
By Internet: www.direxioninvestments.com
These documents and other information about the Funds can be reviewed and copied at the SEC Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Reports and other information about the Funds may be viewed on screen or downloaded from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of these documents may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.
SEC File Number: 811-22201


Direxion Shares ETF Trust
Statement of Additional Information
1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor New York, New York 10019 866-476-7523
www.direxioninvestments.com
The Direxion Shares ETF Trust (“Trust”) is an investment company that offers shares of a variety of exchange-traded funds to the public. The shares of the funds offered in this Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) are, or upon commencement of operations will be, listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. This SAI relates to the funds listed below (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”).
3X Bull Funds 3X Bear Funds
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares (DFEN) Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares (DUSL) Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares (TPOR) Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares (UTSL) Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares (MEXX) Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares (EMBU)  
Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares
The Funds seek daily leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. The Funds with “Bull” in their names attempt to provide daily investment results that correspond to three times the performance of an underlying index and are collectively referred to as the “Bull Funds.” The Funds with “Bear” in their names attempt to provide daily investment results that correspond to three times the inverse (or opposite) of the performance of an underlying index and are collectively referred to as the “Bear Funds.”
The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Investors should note that:
(1) The Funds pursue daily leveraged investment objectives, which means that the Funds are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Funds magnify the performance of their underlying index.
(2) Each Bear Fund pursues a daily leveraged investment objective that is inverse to the performance of its underlying index, a result opposite of most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.
(3) The pursuit of daily investment objectives means that the return of a Fund for a period longer than a full trading day will be the product of the series of daily leveraged returns for each trading day during the relevant period. As a consequence, especially in periods of market volatility, the volatility of the underlying index may affect a Fund’s return as much or more than the return of the underlying index. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. During periods of high volatility, the Funds may not perform as expected and the Funds may have losses when an investor may have expected gains if the Funds are held for a period that is different than one trading day.
The Funds are not suitable for all investors. The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Investors in the Funds should:
(a) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage;

 

(b) understand the consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results;
(c) for a Bear Fund, understand the risk of shorting; and
(d) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments.
Investors who do not understand the Funds or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments should not buy the Funds.
There is no assurance that any Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
If a Fund’s underlying index moves more than 33% on a given trading day in a direction adverse to the Fund, the Fund’s investors would lose all of their money. The Funds’ investment adviser, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, will attempt to position each Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not lose more than 90% of its net asset value on a given trading day. The cost of such downside protection will be limitations on a Fund’s gains. As a consequence, a Fund’s portfolio may not be responsive to underlying index movements beyond 30% on a given trading day, whether that movement is favorable or adverse to the Fund. For example, if a Bull Fund’s underlying index was to gain 35%, that Fund might be limited to a daily gain of 90%, which corresponds to 300% of an underlying index gain of 30%, rather than 300% of an underlying index gain of 35%.
This SAI, dated April 26, 2017, is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Funds' prospectus dated April 26, 2017 (“Prospectus”). This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Prospectus. In other words, it is legally part of the Prospectus. To receive a copy of the Prospectus, without charge, write or call the Trust at the address or telephone number listed above.
April 26, 2017

 

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The Direxion Shares ETF Trust
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized on April 23, 2008 and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”). The Trust currently consists of 142 separate series or “Funds.”
The Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares, Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares, Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares, Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares and the Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares are collectively referred to as the “Fixed Income Funds.”
The Funds seek to provide daily leveraged investment results, before fees and expenses, which correspond to 300% or -300%, respectively, of the performance of a particular underlying index. The Bull Funds attempt to provide investment results that correspond to 300% of the performance of an underlying index. The Bear Funds attempt to provide investment results that correspond to 300% of the inverse of the performance of an underlying index.
The correlations sought by the Bull Funds and the Bear Funds are 300% or -300%, respectively, of the returns of their underlying index. For example, the investment objective for the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares is 300% of the daily total return of the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index, while the underlying index for the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares is 300% of the inverse, or opposite, of the daily total return of the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index. If, on a given day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index gains 1%, the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares is designed to gain approximately 3% (which is equal to 300% of the 1% index gain), while the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares is designed to lose approximately 3%. Conversely, if the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index loses 1% on a given day, the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares is designed to lose approximately 3%, while the Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares is designed to gain approximately 3% (which is equal to -300% of the 1% index loss).
Shares of each Fund (“Shares”) are issued and redeemed only in large blocks called “Creation Units.” Most investors will buy and sell Shares of each Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. Although Shares are generally purchased and sold in “round lots” of 100 Shares, brokerage firms typically permit investors to purchase or sell Shares in smaller “odd lots,” at no per-share price differential. Investors may acquire Shares directly from each Fund, and shareholders may tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, only in Creation Units of 50,000 Shares, as discussed in the “Purchases and Redemptions” section below.
The Shares offered in this SAI are, or upon commencement of operations will be, listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”).
The Funds seek daily leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.
(1) Each Fund pursues a daily leveraged investment objective, which means that the Funds are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because each Fund magnifies the performance of its underlying index.
(2) Each Bear Fund pursues a daily leveraged investment objective that is inverse to the performance of its underlying index, a result opposite of most mutual funds and ETFs.
(3) The pursuit of daily leveraged investment objectives means that the return of a Fund for a period different than a trading day will be the product of the series of daily leveraged returns for each trading day during the relevant period. As a consequence, especially in periods of market volatility, the volatility of the underlying index may affect a Fund’s return as much or more than the return of the underlying index. Further, the return for investors that invest for a period different than a full trading day will not be the product of the return of a Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective and the performance of the underlying index for the full trading day. During periods of high volatility, the Funds may not perform as expected and the Funds may have losses when an investor may have expected gains if the Funds are held for a period that is different than one trading day.
The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Investors in the Funds should:
(a) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage;
(b) understand the consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results;
(c) for the Bear Funds, understand the risk of shorting; and
(d) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments.
Investors who do not understand the Funds or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments should not buy the Funds. There is no assurance that any of the Funds offered in this SAI will achieve their objectives and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
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If a Fund’s underlying index moves more than 33% on a given trading day in a direction adverse to the Fund, the Fund’s investors would lose all of their money. Rafferty will attempt to position each Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not lose more than 90% of its net asset value (“NAV”) on a given trading day. The cost of such downside protection will be limitations on a Fund’s gains. As a consequence, a Fund’s portfolio may not be responsive to underlying index movements beyond 30% on a given trading day, whether that movement is favorable or adverse to the Fund. For example, if a Bull Fund’s underlying index was to gain 35%, that Fund might be limited to a daily gain of 90%, which corresponds to 300% of an underlying index gain of 30%, rather than 300% of an underlying index gain of 35%.
Classification of the Funds
Each Fund is a “non-diversified” series of the Trust pursuant to the 1940 Act. A Fund is considered “non-diversified” because a relatively high percentage of its assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of issuers. To the extent that a Fund assumes large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers, the Fund’s NAV may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a diversified company as a result of changes in the financial condition or in the market’s assessment of the issuers, and the Fund may be more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified company.
Exchange Listing and Trading
The Shares are, or upon commencement of operations will be, listed and traded on the Exchange and may trade at prices that differ to some degree from their NAV. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares of each Fund will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the Shares of a Fund from listing if (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of a Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the Shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the value of the underlying index is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of such Fund.
As is the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of the Shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of a Fund.
The trading prices of each Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from each Fund’s daily NAV per share and are affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. Rafferty Asset Management, LLC ("Rafferty" or "Adviser") may, from time to time, make payments to certain market makers in the Trust’s shares. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of each Fund, also known as the “intraday indicative value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which a Fund is listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund as a particular point in time, nor the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Funds. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the U.S. Each Fund is not involved in, nor responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representations or warranty as to its accuracy.
Investment Policies and Techniques
Each Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the performance of an underlying index, before fees and expenses, as follows:
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Fund Index Daily
Leveraged
Investment
Objective
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bull 3X Shares Dow Jones Industrial Average Index 300%
Direxion Daily Dow 30 Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index 300%
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bull 3X Shares Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index 300%
Direxion Daily Consumer Discretionary Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bull 3X Shares Consumer Staples Select Sector Index 300%
Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Industrials Bull 3X Shares Industrials Select Sector Index 300%
Direxion Daily Industrials Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bull 3X Shares S&P Metals & Mining Select Industry Index 300%
Direxion Daily Metals & Mining Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares Dynamic Pharmaceutical Intellidex Index 300%
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares Dow Jones Transportation Average Index 300%
Direxion Daily Transportation Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Utilities Bull 3X Shares Utilities Select Sector Index 300%
Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bull 3X Shares MSCI Canada Index 300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Canada Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bull 3X Shares MSCI Italy 25/50 Index 300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Italy Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares MSCI Mexico IMI 25/50 Index 300%
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bull 3X Shares EURO STOXX 50® Index 300%
Direxion Daily EURO STOXX 50® Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily Emerging Markets Bond Bull 3X Shares J.P. Morgan Custom Emerging Markets Bond Index 300%
Direxion Daily High Yield Bull 3X Shares Bloomberg Barclays US High Yield Very Liquid Index 300%
Direxion Daily High Yield Bear 3X Shares -300%
Direxion Daily TIPS Bull 3X Shares Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury
Inflation-Linked Bond Index (Series L)
300%
Direxion Daily TIPS Bear 3X Shares -300%
With the exception of limitations described in the “Investment Restrictions” section, each Fund may engage in the investment strategies discussed below. There is no assurance that any of these strategies or any other strategies and methods of investment available to a Fund will result in the achievement of the Fund’s investment objective.
This section provides a description of the securities in which a Fund may invest to achieve its investment objective, the strategies it may employ and the corresponding risks of such securities and strategies. The greatest risk of investing in an exchange-traded fund ("ETF") is that its returns will fluctuate and you could lose money.
Asset-Backed Securities
A Fund may invest in asset-backed securities of any rating or maturity. Asset-backed securities are securities issued by trusts and special purpose entities that are backed by pools of assets, such as automobile and credit-card receivables and home equity loans, which pass through the payments on the underlying obligations to the security holders (less servicing fees paid to the originator or fees for any credit enhancement). Typically, the originator of the loan or accounts receivable paper transfers it to a specially created trust, which repackages it as securities with a minimum denomination and a specific term. The securities are then privately placed or publicly offered. Examples include certificates for automobile receivables and so-called plastic bonds, backed by credit card receivables.
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The value of an asset-backed security is affected by, among other things, changes in the market’s perception of the asset backing the security, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the loan pool, the originator of the loans and the financial institution providing any credit enhancement. Payments of principal and interest passed through to holders of asset-backed securities are frequently supported by some form of credit enhancement, such as a letter of credit, surety bond, limited guarantee by another entity or by having a priority to certain of the borrower’s other assets. The degree of credit enhancement varies, and generally applies to only a portion of the asset-backed security’s par value. Value is also affected if any credit enhancement has been exhausted.
Bank Obligations
Money Market Instruments. A Fund may invest in bankers’ acceptances, certificates of deposit, demand and time deposits, savings shares and commercial paper of domestic banks and savings and loans that have assets of at least $1 billion and capital, surplus, and undivided profits of over $100 million as of the close of their most recent fiscal year, or instruments that are insured by the Bank Insurance Fund or the Savings Institution Insurance Fund of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). A Fund also may invest in high quality, short-term, corporate debt obligations, including variable rate demand notes, having terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days. Because there is no secondary trading market in demand notes, the inability of the issuer to make required payments could impact adversely a Fund’s ability to resell when it deems advisable to do so.
A Fund may invest in foreign money market instruments, which typically involve more risk than investing in U.S. money market instruments. See “Foreign Securities” below. These risks include, among others, higher brokerage commissions, less public information, and less liquid markets in which to sell and meet large shareholder redemption requests.
Bankers’ Acceptances. Bankers’ acceptances generally are negotiable instruments (time drafts) drawn to finance the export, import, domestic shipment or storage of goods. They are termed “accepted” when a bank writes on the draft its agreement to pay it at maturity, using the word “accepted.” The bank is, in effect, unconditionally guaranteeing to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date. The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an asset, or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of interest for a specified maturity.
Certificates of Deposit (“CDs”). The FDIC is an agency of the U.S. government that insures the deposits of certain banks and savings and loan associations up to $250,000 per deposit. The interest on such deposits may not be insured to the extent this limit is exceeded. Current federal regulations also permit such institutions to issue insured negotiable CDs in amounts of $250,000 or more without regard to the interest rate ceilings on other deposits. To remain fully insured, these investments must be limited to $250,000 per insured bank or savings and loan association.
Commercial Paper. Commercial paper includes notes, drafts or similar instruments payable on demand or having a maturity at the time of issuance not exceeding nine months, exclusive of days of grace or any renewal thereof. A Fund may invest in commercial paper rated A-l or A-2 by Standard & Poor’s® Ratings Services (“S&P®”) or Prime-1 or Prime-2 by Moody’s Investors Service®, Inc. (“Moody’s”), and in other lower quality commercial paper.
Caps, Floors and Collars
A Fund may enter into caps, floors and collars relating to securities, interest rates or currencies. In a cap or floor, the buyer pays a premium (which is generally, but not always, a single up-front amount) for the right to receive payments from the other party if, on specified payment dates, the applicable rate, index or asset is greater than (in the case of a cap) or less than (in the case of a floor) an agreed level, for the period involved and the applicable notional amount. A collar is a combination instrument in which the same party buys a cap and sells a floor. Depending upon the terms of the cap and floor comprising the collar, the premiums will partially, or entirely, offset each other. The notional amount of a cap, collar or floor is used to calculate payments, but is not itself exchanged. A Fund may be both a buyer and seller of these instruments. In addition, a Fund may engage in combinations of put and call options on securities (also commonly known as collars), which may involve physical delivery of securities. Like swaps, caps, floors and collars are very flexible products. The terms of the transactions entered by the Funds may vary from the typical examples described here.
Corporate Debt Securities
A Fund may invest in investment grade corporate debt securities of any rating or maturity. Investment grade corporate bonds are those rated BBB or better by S&P® or Baa or better by Moody’s. Securities rated BBB by S&P® are considered investment grade, but Moody’s considers securities rated Baa to have speculative characteristics. See Appendix A for a description of corporate bond ratings. A Fund may also invest in unrated securities.
Corporate debt securities are fixed-income securities issued by businesses to finance their operations, although corporate debt instruments may also include bank loans to companies. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities, with the primary difference being their maturities and secured or un-secured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and is usually unsecured.
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The broad category of corporate debt securities includes debt issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt may be rated investment-grade or below investment-grade and may carry variable or floating rates of interest.
Because of the wide range of types and maturities of corporate debt securities, as well as the range of creditworthiness of its issuers, corporate debt securities have widely varying potentials for return and risk profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated investment grade may have a modest return on principal, but carries relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal, but carries a relatively high degree of risk.
Corporate debt securities carry both credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk that a Fund could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it is due. Some corporate debt securities that are rated below investment grade are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher-quality debt securities. The credit risk of a particular issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (senior) debt securities have a higher priority than lower ranking (subordinated) securities. This means that the issuer might not make payments on subordinated securities while continuing to make payments on senior securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of higher-ranking senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of more junior securities. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than corporate debt securities with shorter terms.
Cybersecurity Risk
Since the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds may be more susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cybersecurity. A cybersecurity incident may refer to either intentional or unintentional events that allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause a Fund or a Fund service provider to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. A cybersecurity incident could, among other things, result in the loss or theft of customer data or funds, customers or employees being unable to access electronic systems (“denial of services”), loss or theft of proprietary information or corporate data, physical damage to a computer or network system, or remediation costs associated with system repairs. Any of these results could have a substantial impact on the Funds. For example, if a cybersecurity incident results in a denial of service, Fund shareholders could lose access to their electronic accounts for an unknown period of time, and employees could be unable to access electronic systems to perform critical duties for the Funds, such as trading, NAV calculation, shareholder accounting or fulfillment of Fund share purchases and redemptions. Cybersecurity incidents could cause a Fund or the Funds' Adviser or distributor to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, or financial loss of a significant magnitude. They may also cause a Fund to violate applicable privacy and other laws. The Funds' service providers have established risk management systems that seek to reduce the risks associated with cybersecurity, and business continuity plans in the event there is a cybersecurity breach. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially since a Fund does not directly control the cybersecurity systems of the issuers of securities in which each Fund invests or the Funds' third party service providers (including the Funds' transfer agent and custodian).
Depositary Receipts
To the extent a Fund invests in stocks of foreign corporations, a Fund’s investment in such stocks may also be in the form of depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. Depositary receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are receipts typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) are receipts issued in Europe that evidence a similar ownership arrangement. Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) are receipts issued throughout the world that evidence a similar arrangement. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities.
Depositary receipts may be purchased through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and a depositary, whereas a depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the depositary security. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of such facilities and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts of the deposited securities.
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Fund investments in depositary receipts, which include ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, are deemed to be investments in foreign securities for purposes of a Fund’s investment strategy.
Equity Securities
Common Stocks. A Fund may invest in common stocks. Common stocks represent the residual ownership interest in the issuer and are entitled to the income and increase in the value of the assets and business of the entity after all of its obligations and preferred stock are satisfied. Common stocks generally have voting rights. Common stocks fluctuate in price in response to many factors including historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the value of its assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity.
Convertible Securities. A Fund may invest in convertible securities that may be considered high yield securities. Convertible securities include corporate bonds, notes and preferred stock that can be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock of the same or a different issue within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or dividends paid on preferred stock until the convertible stock matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. While no securities investment is without some risk, investments in convertible securities generally entail less risk than the issuer’s common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security. The market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. While convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than nonconvertible debt securities of similar quality, they do enable the investor to benefit from increases in the market price of the underlying common stock. When investing in convertible securities, a Fund may invest in the lowest credit rating category.
Preferred Stock. A Fund may invest in preferred stock. A preferred stock blends the characteristics of a bond and common stock. It can offer the higher yield of a bond and has priority over common stock in equity ownership, but does not have the seniority of a bond and its participation in the issuer’s growth may be limited. Preferred stock has preference over common stock in the receipt of dividends and in any residual assets after payment to creditors if the issuer is dissolved. Although the dividend is set at a fixed annual rate, in some circumstances it can be changed or omitted by the issuer. When investing in preferred stocks, a Fund may invest in the lowest credit rating category.
Warrants and Rights. A Fund may purchase warrants and rights, which are instruments that permit a Fund to acquire, by subscription, the capital stock of a corporation at a set price, regardless of the market price for such stock. Warrants may be either perpetual or of limited duration, but they usually do not have voting rights or pay dividends. The market price of warrants is usually significantly less than the current price of the underlying stock. Thus, there is a greater risk that warrants might drop in value at a faster rate than the underlying stock.
Foreign Currencies
A Fund may invest directly and indirectly in foreign currencies. Investments in foreign currencies are subject to numerous risks not least being the fluctuation of foreign currency exchange rates with respect to the U.S. Dollar. Exchange rates fluctuate for a number of reasons.
Inflation. Exchange rates change to reflect changes in a currency’s buying power. Different countries experience different inflation rates due to different monetary and fiscal policies, different product and labor market conditions, and a host of other factors.
Trade Deficits. Countries with trade deficits tend to experience a depreciating currency. Inflation may be the cause of a trade deficit, making a country’s goods more expensive and less competitive and so reducing demand for its currency.
Interest Rates. High interest rates may raise currency values in the short term by making such currencies more attractive to investors. However, since high interest rates are often the result of high inflation, long-term results may be the opposite.
Budget Deficits and Low Savings Rates. Countries that run large budget deficits and save little of their national income tend to suffer a depreciating currency because they are forced to borrow abroad to finance their deficits. Payments of interest on this debt can inundate the currency markets with the currency of the debtor nation. Budget deficits also can indirectly contribute to currency depreciation if a government chooses inflationary measures to cope with its deficits and debt.
Political Factors. Political instability in a country can cause a currency to depreciate. Demand for a certain currency may fall if a country appears a less desirable place in which to invest and do business.
Government Control. Through their own buying and selling of currencies, the world’s central banks sometimes manipulate exchange rate movements. In addition, governments occasionally issue statements to influence people’s expectations about the direction of exchange rates, or they may instigate policies with an exchange rate target as the goal.
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The value of a Fund’s investments is calculated in U.S. Dollars each day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for business. As a result, to the extent that a Fund’s assets are invested in instruments denominated in foreign currencies and the currencies appreciate relative to the U.S. Dollar, a Fund’s NAV per share as expressed in U.S. Dollars (and, therefore, the value of your investment) should increase. If the U.S. Dollar appreciates relative to the other currencies, the opposite should occur.
The currency-related gains and losses experienced by a Fund will be based on changes in the value of portfolio securities attributable to currency fluctuations only in relation to the original purchase price of such securities as stated in U.S. Dollars. Gains or losses on shares of a Fund will be based on changes attributable to fluctuations in the NAV of such shares, expressed in U.S. Dollars, in relation to the original U.S. Dollar purchase price of the shares. The amount of appreciation or depreciation in a Fund’s assets also will be affected by the net investment income generated by the money market instruments in which each Fund invests and by changes in the value of the securities that are unrelated to changes in currency exchange rates.
A Fund may incur currency exchange costs when it sells instruments denominated in one currency and buys instruments denominated in another.
Currency Transactions. A Fund conducts currency exchange transactions on a spot basis. Currency transactions made on a spot basis are for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currency. A Fund also enters into forward currency contracts. See “Options, Futures and Other Derivative Strategies” below. A forward currency contract is an obligation to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are entered into on the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers.
A Fund may invest in a combination of forward currency contracts and U.S. Dollar-denominated market instruments in an attempt to obtain an investment result that is substantially the same as a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated instrument. This investment technique creates a “synthetic” position in the particular foreign-currency instrument whose performance the Adviser is trying to duplicate. For example, the combination of U.S. Dollar-denominated instruments with “long” forward currency exchange contracts creates a position economically equivalent to a money market instrument denominated in the foreign currency itself. Such combined positions are sometimes necessary when the money market in a particular foreign currency is small or relatively illiquid.
A Fund may invest in forward currency contracts to hedge either specific transactions (transaction hedging) or portfolio positions (position hedging). Transaction hedging is the purchase or sale of forward currency contracts with respect to specific receivables or payables of a Fund in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. Position hedging is the sale of a forward currency contract on a particular currency with respect to portfolio positions denominated or quoted in that currency.
A Fund may use forward currency contracts for position hedging if consistent with its policy of trying to expose its net assets to foreign currencies. A Fund is not required to enter into forward currency contracts for hedging purposes and it is possible that a Fund may not be able to hedge against a currency devaluation that is so generally anticipated that a Fund is unable to contract to sell the currency at a price above the devaluation level it anticipates. It also is possible, under certain circumstances, that a Fund may have to limit its currency transactions to qualify as a “regulated investment company” (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of Chapter 1 of Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). See “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes.”
Each Fund currently does not intend to enter into a forward currency contract with a term of more than one year, or to engage in position hedging with respect to the currency of a particular country to more than the aggregate market value (at the time the hedging transaction is entered into) of its portfolio securities denominated in (or quoted in or currently convertible into or directly related through the use of forward currency contracts in conjunction with money market instruments to) that particular currency.
At or before the maturity of a forward currency contract, a Fund may either sell a portfolio security and make delivery of the currency, or retain the security and terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the currency by buying an “offsetting” contract obligating it to buy, on the same maturity date, the same amount of the currency. If a Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, it may later enter into a new forward currency contract to sell the currency.
If a Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, it will incur a gain or loss to the extent that there has been movement in forward currency contract prices. If forward prices go down during the period between the date a Fund enters into a forward currency contract for the sale of a currency and the date it enters into an offsetting contract for the purchase of the currency, a Fund will realize a gain to the extent that the price of the currency it has agreed to sell exceeds the price of the currency it has agreed to buy. If forward prices go up, a Fund will suffer a loss to the extent the price of the currency it has agreed to buy exceeds the price of the currency it has agreed to sell.
Since a Fund invests in money market instruments denominated in foreign currencies, it may hold foreign currencies pending investment or conversion into U.S. Dollars. Although a Fund values its assets daily in U.S. Dollars, it does not convert its holdings of foreign currencies into U.S. Dollars on a daily basis. A Fund will convert its holdings from time to time, however, and incur the costs of currency conversion. Foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, but they do realize
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a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they buy and sell various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to a Fund at one rate, and offer to buy the currency at a lower rate if a Fund tries to resell the currency to the dealer.
Foreign Currency Options. A Fund may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities and may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies. A Fund may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies either on exchanges or in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market. A put option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a foreign currency at the exercise price until the option expires. A call option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to purchase the currency at the exercise price until the option expires. Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits which may limit the ability of a Fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options. OTC options differ from traded options in that they are two-party contracts with price and other terms negotiated between buyer and seller, and generally do not have as much market liquidity as exchange-traded options.
Foreign Currency Exchange-Related Securities
Foreign Currency Warrants. Foreign currency warrants such as Currency Exchange WarrantsSM (“CEWsSM”) are warrants which entitle the holder to receive from their issuer an amount of cash (generally, for warrants issued in the United States, in U.S. Dollars) which is calculated pursuant to a predetermined formula and based on the exchange rate between a specified foreign currency and the U.S. Dollar as of the exercise date of the warrant. Foreign currency warrants generally are exercisable upon their issuance and expire as of a specified date and time. Foreign currency warrants have been issued in connection with U.S. Dollar-denominated debt offerings by major corporate issuers in an attempt to reduce the foreign currency exchange risk which, from the point of view of prospective purchasers of the securities, is inherent in the international fixed-income marketplace. Foreign currency warrants may attempt to reduce the foreign exchange risk assumed by purchasers of a security by, for example, providing for a supplemental payment in the event that the U.S. Dollar depreciates against the value of a major foreign currency such as the Japanese yen or the Euro. The formula used to determine the amount payable upon exercise of a foreign currency warrant may make the warrant worthless unless the applicable foreign currency exchange rate moves in a particular direction (e.g., unless the U.S. Dollar appreciates or depreciates against the particular foreign currency to which the warrant is linked or indexed). Foreign currency warrants are severable from the debt obligations with which they may be offered, and may be listed on exchanges. Foreign currency warrants may be exercisable only in certain minimum amounts, and an investor wishing to exercise warrants who possesses less than the minimum number required for exercise may be required either to sell the warrants or to purchase additional warrants, thereby incurring additional transaction costs. In the case of any exercise of warrants, there may be a time delay between the time a holder of warrants gives instructions to exercise and the time the exchange rate relating to exercise is determined, during which time the exchange rate could change significantly, thereby affecting both the market and cash settlement values of the warrants being exercised. The expiration date of the warrants may be accelerated if the warrants should be delisted from an exchange or if their trading should be suspended permanently, which would result in the loss of any remaining “time value” of the warrants (i.e., the difference between the current market value and the exercise value of the warrants), and, in the case the warrants were “out-of-the-money,” in a total loss of the purchase price of the warrants.
Warrants are generally unsecured obligations of their issuers and are not standardized foreign currency options issued by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). Unlike foreign currency options issued by OCC, the terms of foreign exchange warrants generally will not be amended in the event of governmental or regulatory actions affecting exchange rates or in the event of the imposition of other regulatory controls affecting the international currency markets. The initial public offering price of foreign currency warrants is generally considerably in excess of the price that a commercial user of foreign currencies might pay in the interbank market for a comparable option involving significantly larger amounts of foreign currencies. Foreign currency warrants are subject to significant foreign exchange risk, including risks arising from complex political or economic factors.
Principal Exchange Rate Linked Securities. Principal exchange rate linked securities (“PERLsSM”) are debt obligations the principal on which is payable at maturity in an amount that may vary based on the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and a particular foreign currency at or about that time. The return on “standard” principal exchange rate linked securities is enhanced if the foreign currency to which the security is linked appreciates against the U.S. Dollar, and is adversely affected by increases in the foreign exchange value of the U.S. Dollar; “reverse” principal exchange rate linked securities are like the “standard” securities, except that their return is enhanced by increases in the value of the U.S. Dollar and adversely impacted by increases in the value of foreign currency. Interest payments on the securities are generally made in U.S. Dollars at rates that reflect the degree of foreign currency risk assumed or given up by the purchaser of the notes (i.e., at relatively higher interest rates if the purchaser has assumed some of the foreign exchange risk, or relatively lower interest rates if the issuer has assumed some of the foreign exchange risk, based on the expectations of the current market). Principal exchange rate linked securities may in limited cases be subject to acceleration of maturity (generally, not without the consent of the holders of the securities), which may have an adverse impact on the value of the principal payment to be made at maturity.
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Performance Indexed Paper. Performance indexed paper (“PIPsSM”) is U.S. Dollar-denominated commercial paper the yield of which is linked to certain foreign exchange rate movements. The yield to the investor on performance indexed paper is established at maturity as a function of spot exchange rates between the U.S. Dollar and a designated currency as of or about that time (generally, the index maturity two days prior to maturity). The yield to the investor will be within a range stipulated at the time of purchase of the obligation, generally with a guaranteed minimum rate of return that is below, and a potential maximum rate of return that is above, market yields on U.S. Dollar-denominated commercial paper, with both the minimum and maximum rates of return on the investment corresponding to the minimum and maximum values of the spot exchange rate two business days prior to maturity.
Foreign Securities
A Fund may have both direct and indirect exposure through investments in stock index futures contracts, options on stock index futures contracts and options on securities and on stock indices to foreign securities. In most cases, the best available market for foreign securities will be on exchanges or in OTC markets located outside the United States.
Investing in foreign securities carries political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the United States. Investments in foreign securities also involve the risk of possible adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, limitation on or delays in the removal of funds or other assets of a fund, political or financial instability or diplomatic and other developments that could affect such investments. Foreign investments may be affected by actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S. investors, including the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on U.S. investment or on the ability to repatriate assets or to convert currency into U.S. Dollars. There may be a greater possibility of default by foreign governments or foreign-government sponsored enterprises. Investments in foreign countries also involve a risk of local political, economic or social instability, military action or unrest or adverse diplomatic developments.
Asia-Pacific Countries. In addition to the risks associated with foreign and emerging markets, the developing market Asia-Pacific countries in which a Fund may invest are subject to certain additional or specific risks. A Fund may make substantial investments in Asia-Pacific countries. In the Asia-Pacific markets, there is a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries. Many of these markets also may be affected by developments with respect to more established markets in the region, such as Japan and Hong Kong. Brokers in developing market Asia-Pacific countries typically are fewer in number and less well-capitalized than brokers in the United States. These factors, combined with the U.S. regulatory requirements for open-end investment companies and the restrictions on foreign investment, result in potentially fewer investment opportunities for a Fund and may have an adverse impact on a Fund’s investment performance.
Many of the developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be subject to a greater degree of economic, political and social instability than is the case in the United States and Western European countries. Such instability may result from, among other things: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision-making, including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; and/or (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection. In addition, the governments of many of such countries, such as Indonesia, have a heavy role in regulating and supervising the economy.
An additional risk common to most such countries is that the economy is heavily export-oriented and, accordingly, is dependent upon international trade. The existence of overburdened infrastructure and obsolete financial systems also present risks in certain countries, as do environmental problems. Certain economies also depend to a significant degree upon exports of primary commodities and, therefore, are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices that, in turn, may be affected by a variety of factors. The legal systems in certain developing market Asia-Pacific countries also may have an adverse impact on a Fund. For example, while the potential liability of a shareholder in a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation is generally limited to the amount of the shareholder's investment, the notion of limited liability is less clear in certain emerging market Asia-Pacific countries. Similarly, the rights of investors in developing market Asia-Pacific companies may be more limited than those of shareholders of U.S. corporations. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain and/or enforce a judgment in a developing market Asia-Pacific country.
Governments of many developing market Asia-Pacific countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, the government owns or controls many companies, including the largest in the country. Accordingly, government actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in developing market Asia-Pacific countries, which could affect private sector companies and a Fund itself, as well as the value of securities in a Fund's portfolio. In addition, economic statistics of developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be less reliable than economic statistics of more developed nations.
It is possible that developing market Asia-Pacific issuers may not be subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards as U.S. companies. Inflation accounting rules in some developing market Asia-Pacific countries require companies that keep accounting records in the local currency, for both tax and accounting purposes, to restate certain assets and liabilities on the company’s balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing
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power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits for certain developing market Asia-Pacific companies. In addition, satisfactory custodial services for investment securities may not be available in some developing Asia-Pacific countries, which may result in a Fund incurring additional costs and delays in providing transportation and custody services for such securities outside such countries.
Certain developing Asia-Pacific countries are especially large debtors to commercial banks and foreign governments. Fund management may determine that, notwithstanding otherwise favorable investment criteria, it may not be practicable or appropriate to invest in a particular developing Asia-Pacific country. A Fund may invest in countries in which foreign investors, including management of the Fund, have had no or limited prior experience.
Brazil. Investing in Brazil involves certain considerations not typically associated with investing in the United States. Additional considerations include: (i) investment and repatriation controls, which could affect a Fund’s ability to operate, and to qualify for the favorable tax treatment afforded to RICs for U.S. federal income tax purposes; (ii) fluctuations in the rate of exchange between the Brazilian Real and the U.S. Dollar; (iii) the generally greater price volatility and lesser liquidity that characterize Brazilian securities markets, as compared with U.S. markets; (iv) the effect that balance of trade could have on Brazilian economic stability and the Brazilian government's economic policy; (v) potentially high rates of inflation; (vi) governmental involvement in and influence on the private sector; (vii) Brazilian accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements, which differ from those in the United States; (viii) political and other considerations, including changes in applicable Brazilian tax laws; and (ix) restrictions on investments by foreigners. While the economy of Brazil has enjoyed substantial economic growth in recent years, there can be no guarantee that this growth will continue.
China. Investing in China involves special considerations not typically associated with investing in countries with more democratic governments or more established economies or currency markets. These risks include: (i) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (ii) greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy, interest rates and currency exchange rates; (iii) controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; (iv) greater social, economic and political uncertainty (including the risk of war); (v) dependency on exports and the corresponding importance of international trade; (vi) currency exchange rate fluctuations; and (vii) the risk that certain companies in which the Fund may invest may have dealings with countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government or identified as state sponsors of terrorism. The government of China maintains strict currency controls in support of economic, trade and political objectives and regularly intervenes in the currency market. The government's actions in this respect may not be transparent or predictable. As a result, the value of the Yuan, and the value of securities designed to provide exposure to the Yuan, can change quickly and arbitrarily. Furthermore, it is difficult for foreign investors to directly access money market securities in China because of investment and trading restrictions. While the economy of China has enjoyed substantial economic growth in recent years, there can be no guarantee this growth will continue. These and other factors may decrease the value and liquidity of a Fund's investments.
China A-shares are equity securities of companies based in mainland China that trade on Chinese stock exchanges such as the Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (“SZSE”) (“A-shares”). Foreign investment in A-shares on the SSE and SZSE is historically not permitted, other than through a license granted under regulations in the People’s Republic of China known as the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor and Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor systems. Each license permits investment in A-shares only up to a specified quota.
Investment in eligible A-shares listed and traded on the SSE is also permitted through the Stock Connect program. Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing program established by Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited, the SSE and Chinese Securities Depositary and Clearing Corporation that aims to provide mutual stock market access between China and Hong Kong by permitting investors to trade and settle shares on each market through their local exchanges. Certain Funds may invest in other investment companies that invest in A-shares through Stock Connect or on such other stock exchanges in China which participate in Stock Connect from time to time. Under Stock Connect, a Fund’s trading of eligible A-shares listed on the SSE would be effectuated through its Hong Kong broker.
Although no individual investment quotas or licensing requirements apply to investors in Stock Connect, trading through Stock Connect’s Northbound Trading Link is subject to aggregate and daily investment quota limitations that require that buy orders for A-shares be rejected once the remaining balance of the relevant quota drops to zero or the daily quota is exceeded (although a Fund will be permitted to sell A-shares regardless of the quota balance). These limitations may restrict a Fund from investing in A-shares on a timely basis, which could affect a Fund’s ability to effectively pursue its investment strategy. Investment quotas are also subject to change. Investment in eligible A-shares through Stock Connect is subject to trading, clearance and settlement procedures that could pose risks to a Fund. A-shares purchased through Stock Connect generally may not be sold or otherwise transferred other than through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable rules. In addition, Stock Connect will only operate on days when both the Chinese and Hong Kong markets are open for trading and when banks in both markets are open on the corresponding settlement days. Therefore, an investment in A-shares through Stock Connect may subject a Fund to a risk of price fluctuations on days where the Chinese market is open, but Stock Connect is not trading.
Developing and Emerging Markets. Emerging and developing markets abroad may offer special opportunities for investing, but may have greater risks than more developed foreign markets, such as those in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand
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and Japan. There may be even less liquidity in their securities markets, and settlements of purchases and sales of securities may be subject to additional delays. They are subject to greater risks of limitations on the repatriation of income and profits because of currency restrictions imposed by local governments. Those countries may also be subject to the risk of greater political and economic instability, which can greatly affect the volatility of prices of securities in those countries.
Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in foreign developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; and possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. Dollar. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries. Additional risks of emerging markets securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions.
Europe. Investing in European countries may impose economic and political risks associated with Europe in general and the specific European countries in which it invests. The economies and markets of European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one European country can have an adverse impact on other European countries. A Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have significant operations in, member countries of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”), which requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including some or all of the emerging markets materials sector countries. Although certain European countries do not use the euro, many of these countries are obliged to meet the criteria for joining the euro zone. Consequently, these countries must comply with many of the restrictions noted above. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns, rising government debt levels and the possible default of government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In order to prevent further economic deterioration, certain countries, without prior warning, can institute “capital controls.” Countries may use these controls to restrict volatile movements of capital entering and exiting their country. Such controls may negatively affect a Fund’s investments. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country’s creditworthiness, which may be located in countries other than those listed above. In addition, the credit ratings of certain European countries were recently downgraded. These downgrades may result in further deterioration of investor confidence. These events have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU, including, with respect to the latter, the United Kingdom, which is a significant market in the global economy. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely impact the value of investments in the region.
The announcement of the Referendum of the United Kingdom’s (the “UK”) Membership of the EU (referred to as “Brexit”), advising for the exit of the UK from the EU, has caused business disruptions and uncertainty and thus adversely impact the financial results and operations of various European companies and economies. It is expected that the UK will exit the EU within two years of the UK’s formal notification under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon to the European Council of its intention to withdraw, which was formally made by Prime Minister Theresa May on March 29, 2017. There is considerable uncertainty as to the timing and requirements of the notification, as well as the potential consequences of Brexit. The effects of Brexit will depend on any agreements the UK makes to retain access to the EU Common Market either during a transitional period or more permanently. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Additionally, Brexit could lead to global economic uncertainty and result in significant volatility in the global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations.
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India. Investments in India involve special considerations not typically associated with investing in countries with more established economies or currency markets. Political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax, or economic policy in India could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on a Fund's performance. Agriculture occupies a prominent position in the Indian economy and the Indian economy, therefore, may be negatively affected by adverse weather conditions and the effects of global climate change. The Indian government exercises significant influence over many aspects of the economy, and the number of public sector enterprises in India is substantial. While the Indian government has implemented economic structural reform with the objectives of liberalizing India's exchange and trade policies, reducing the fiscal deficit, controlling inflation, promoting a sound monetary policy, reforming the financial sector, and placing greater reliance on market mechanisms to direct economic activity, there can be no assurance that these policies will continue or that the economic recovery will be sustained. While the government of India is liberalizing, it still places restrictions on the capability and capacity of foreign investors to access and trade Rupee directly. Foreign investors in India still face burdensome taxes on investments in income producing securities. While the economy of India has enjoyed substantial economic growth in recent years, there can be no guarantee this growth will continue. These and other factors may decrease the value and liquidity of a Fund's investments.
Japan. Japanese investments may be significantly affected by events influencing Japan’s economy and changes in the exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the U.S. Dollar. Japan’s economy fell into a long recession in the 1990s. After a few years of mild recovery in the mid-2000s, Japan’s economy fell into another recession as a result of the recent global economic crisis. Japan is heavily dependent on exports and foreign oil. Furthermore, Japan is located in a seismically active area, and in 2011 experienced an earthquake of a sizeable magnitude and a tsunami that significantly affected important elements of its infrastructure and resulted in a nuclear crisis. Since these events, Japan’s financial markets have fluctuated dramatically. The full extent of the impact of these events on Japan’s economy and on foreign investment in Japan is difficult to estimate. Japan’s economic prospects may be affected by the political and military situations of its near neighbors, notably North and South Korea, China, and Russia.
Latin America. Investments in Latin American countries involve special considerations not typically associated with investing in the United States. Most Latin American countries have experienced, at one time or another, severe and persistent levels of inflation, including, in some cases, hyperinflation. This has, in turn, led to high interest rates, extreme measures by governments to keep inflation in check, and a generally debilitating effect on economic growth. Although inflation in many countries has lessened, there is no guarantee it will remain at lower levels. In addition, the political history of certain Latin American countries has been characterized by political uncertainty, military intervention in civilian and economic spheres, and political corruption. Such developments, if they were to reoccur, could reverse favorable trends toward market and economic reform, privatization, and removal of trade barriers, and result in significant disruption to the securities markets. Certain Latin American countries may also have managed currencies, which are maintained at artificial levels to the U.S. Dollar rather than at levels determined by the market. This type of system can lead to sudden and large adjustments in the currency which, in turn, can have a disruptive and negative effect on foreign investors. For example, in late 1994, the value of the Mexican peso lost more than one-third of its value relative to the U.S. Dollar. Certain Latin American countries also restrict the free conversion of their currency into foreign currencies, including the U.S. Dollar. There is no significant foreign exchange market for many currencies and it would, as a result, be difficult for the Fund to engage in foreign currency transactions designed to protect the value of the Fund’s interests in securities denominated in such currencies. Finally, a number of Latin American countries are among the largest debtors of developing countries. There have been moratoria on, and reschedulings of, repayment with respect to these debts. Such events can restrict the flexibility of these debtor nations in the international markets and result in the imposition of onerous conditions on their economies.
Russia. Investing in Russia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investing in United States. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, Russia has experienced dramatic political and social change. The political system in Russia is emerging from a long history of extensive state involvement in economic affairs. The country is undergoing a rapid transition from a centrally-controlled command system to a market-oriented, democratic model. As a result, relative to companies operating in Western economies, companies in Russia are characterized by a lack of: (i) management with experience of operating in a market economy; (ii) modern technology; and, (iii) a sufficient capital base with which to develop and expand their operations. It is unclear what will be the future effect on Russian companies, if any, of Russia’s continued attempts to move toward a more market-oriented economy. Russia’s economy has experienced severe economic recession, if not depression, since 1990 during which time the economy has been characterized by high rates of inflation, high rates of unemployment, declining gross domestic product, deficit government spending, and a devalued currency. The economic reform program has involved major disruptions and dislocations in various sectors of the economy, and those problems have been exacerbated by growing liquidity problems. Further, Russia presently receives significant financial assistance from a number of countries through various programs. To the extent these programs are reduced or eliminated in the future, Russian economic development may be adversely impacted. The laws and regulations in Russia affecting Western investment business continue to evolve in an unpredictable manner. Russian laws and regulations, particularly those involving taxation, foreign investment and trade, title to property or securities, and transfer of title, which may be applicable to a Fund’s activities are relatively new and can change quickly and unpredictably in a manner far more volatile than in the United States or other developed market economies. Although basic commercial laws are in place, they are often unclear
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or contradictory and subject to varying interpretation, and may at any time be amended, modified, repealed or replaced in a manner adverse to the interest of the Funds.
As a result of recent events involving Ukraine and Russia, the United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The United States and other nations or international organizations may impose additional, broader economic sanctions or take other actions that may adversely affect Russian-related issuers in the future. These sanctions, any future sanctions or other actions, or even the threat of further sanctions or other actions, may negatively affect the value and liquidity of a Fund’s investments. Russia may undertake countermeasures or retaliatory actions which may further impair the value and liquidity of a Fund’s investments.
Hybrid Instruments
A Fund may invest in hybrid instruments. A hybrid instrument is a type of potentially high-risk derivative that combines a traditional stock, bond, or commodity with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a hybrid is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some commodity, currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most fixed income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid security may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. A hybrid could be, for example, a bond issued by an oil company that pays a small base level of interest, in addition to interest that accrues when oil prices exceed a certain predetermined level. Such a hybrid instrument would be a combination of a bond and a call option on oil.
Hybrids can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including currency hedging, and increased total return. Hybrids may not bear interest or pay dividends. The value of a hybrid or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events, such as commodity shortages and currency devaluations, which cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid could be zero. Thus, an investment in a hybrid may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S. Dollar-denominated bond that has a fixed principal amount and pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of hybrids also exposes a Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the NAV of a Fund.
Certain issuers of structured products such as hybrid instruments may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, a Fund’s investment in these products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.
Illiquid Investments and Restricted Securities
Each Fund may purchase and hold illiquid investments. A Fund will not purchase or otherwise acquire any security if, as a result, more than 15% of its net assets (taken at current value) would be invested in investments that are illiquid. This policy does not include restricted securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”), which the Trust’s Board of Trustees (“Board” or “Trustees”), or Rafferty, under Board-approved guidelines, has determined are liquid. Each Fund, however, currently does not anticipate investing in such restricted securities.
The term “illiquid investments” for this purpose means investments that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the investments. Investments currently considered to be illiquid include: (1) repurchase agreements not terminable within seven days; (2) securities for which market quotations are not readily available; (3) OTC options and their underlying collateral; (4) bank deposits, unless they are payable at principal amount plus accrued interest on demand or within seven days after demand; (5) restricted securities not determined to be liquid pursuant to guidelines established by the Board; and (6) in certain circumstances, securities involved in swap, cap, floor or collar transactions.
A Fund may not be able to sell illiquid investments when Rafferty considers it desirable to do so or may have to sell such investments at a price that is lower than the price that could be obtained if the investments were liquid. In addition, the sale of illiquid investments may require more time and result in higher dealer discounts and other selling expenses than does the sale of investments that are not illiquid. Illiquid investments also may be more difficult to value due to the unavailability of reliable market quotations for such investments, and investment in illiquid investments may have an adverse impact on NAV.
Rule 144A establishes a “safe harbor” from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers. Institutional markets for restricted securities that have developed as a result of Rule 144A provide both readily ascertainable values for certain restricted securities and the ability to liquidate an investment to satisfy share redemption orders. An insufficient number of qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing Rule 144A-eligible securities held by a Fund, however, could affect adversely the marketability of such portfolio securities, and a Fund may be unable to dispose of such securities promptly or at reasonable prices.
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Indexed Securities
A Fund may purchase indexed securities, which are securities, the value of which varies positively or negatively in relation to the value of other securities, securities indices or other financial indicators, consistent with its investment objective. Indexed securities may be debt securities or deposits whose value at maturity or coupon rate is determined by reference to a specific instrument or statistic. Recent issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations and certain U.S. government agencies.
The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the security or other instrument to which they are indexed and also may be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. At the same time, indexed securities are subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer’s creditworthiness deteriorates. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments. Certain indexed securities that are not traded on an established market may be deemed illiquid. See “Illiquid Investments and Restricted Securities” above.
Inflation Protected Securities
Inflation protected securities are fixed income securities whose value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. Two structures are common. The U.S. Treasury and some other issuers utilize a structure that accrues inflation into the principal value of the bond. Other issuers pay out the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) accruals as part of a semiannual coupon. Inflation protected securities issued by the U.S. Treasury have maturities of approximately five, ten or thirty years, although it is possible that securities with other maturities will be issued in the future. The U.S. Treasury securities pay interest on a semi-annual basis equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation adjusted principal amount.
If the periodic adjustment rate measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation protected bonds will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation indexed bonds, even during a period of deflation. However, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. A Fund may also invest in other inflation related bonds which may or may not provide a similar guarantee. If a guarantee of principal is not provided, the adjusted principal value of the bond to be repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal amount and, therefore, is subject to credit risk.
The value of inflation protected bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates in turn are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if the rate of inflation rises at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation protected bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation protected bonds. While these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure.
The periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation protected bonds is tied to the non-seasonally adjusted U.S. City Average All Items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”), published monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy.
Any increase in principal for an inflation protected security resulting from inflation adjustments is considered by the IRS to be taxable income in the year it occurs. A Fund’s distributions to shareholders include interest income and the income attributable to principal adjustments, both of which will be taxable to shareholders. The tax treatment of the income attributable to principal adjustments may result in the situation where a Fund needs to make its required annual distributions to shareholders in amounts that exceed the cash received. As a result, a Fund may need to liquidate certain investments when it is not advantageous to do so. Also, if the principal value of an inflation protected security is adjusted downward due to deflation, amounts previously distributed in the taxable year may be characterized in some circumstances as a return of capital.
Interest Rate Swaps
In a typical interest rate swap agreement, one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a floating rate on a specified amount in exchange for payments equal to a fixed rate, or a different floating rate, on the same amount for a specified period. Among other techniques, a Fund may use interest rate swaps to offset declines in the value of fixed income securities held by a Fund. In such an instance, a Fund may agree with a counterparty to pay a fixed rate (multiplied by a notional amount) and the counterparty to pay a floating rate multiplied by the same notional amount. If long-term interest rates rise, resulting in a diminution in the value of a Fund’s portfolio, a Fund would receive payments under the swap that would offset, in whole or in part, such diminution in value; if interest rates fall, a Fund would likely lose money on the swap
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transaction. A Fund may also enter into constant maturity swaps, which are a variation of the typical interest rate swap. Constant maturity swaps are exposed to changes in long-term interest rate movements.
Junk Bonds
A Fund may invest in lower-rated debt securities, including securities in the lowest credit rating category, of any maturity, otherwise known as “junk bonds.”
Junk bonds generally offer a higher current yield than that available for higher-grade issues. However, lower-rated securities involve higher risks, in that they are especially subject to adverse changes in general economic conditions and in the industries in which the issuers are engaged, to changes in the financial condition of the issuers and to price fluctuations in response to changes in interest rates. During periods of economic downturn or rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress that could adversely affect their ability to make payments of interest and principal and increase the possibility of default. In addition, the market for lower-rated debt securities has expanded rapidly in recent years, and its growth paralleled a long economic expansion. At times in recent years, the prices of many lower-rated debt securities declined substantially, reflecting an expectation that many issuers of such securities might experience financial difficulties. As a result, the yields on lower-rated debt securities rose dramatically, but such higher yields did not reflect the value of the income stream that holders of such securities expected, but rather, the risk that holders of such securities could lose a substantial portion of their value as a result of the issuers’ financial restructuring or default. There can be no assurance that such declines will not recur.
The market for lower-rated debt issues generally is thinner and less active than that for higher quality securities, which may limit a Fund’s ability to sell such securities at fair value in response to changes in the economy or financial markets. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based on fundamental analysis, may also decrease the values and liquidity of lower-rated securities, especially in a thinly traded market. Changes by recognized rating services in their rating of a fixed-income security may affect the value of these investments. A Fund will not necessarily dispose of a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. However, Rafferty will monitor the investment to determine whether continued investment in the security will assist in meeting a Fund’s investment objective.
Mortgage-Backed Securities
A Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities. A mortgage-backed security is a type of pass-through security, which is a security representing pooled debt obligations repackaged as interests that pass income through an intermediary to investors. In the case of mortgage-backed securities, the ownership interest is in a pool of mortgage loans.
Mortgage-backed securities are most commonly issued or guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae®” or “GNMA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae®” or “FNMA”) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac®” or “FHLMC”), but may also be issued or guaranteed by other private issuers. GNMA is a government-owned corporation that is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It guarantees, with the full faith and credit of the United States, full and timely payment of all monthly principal and interest on its mortgage-backed securities. FNMA is a publicly owned, government-sponsored corporation that mostly packages mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration, but also sells some non-governmentally backed mortgages. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest only by FNMA. FHLMC is a publicly chartered agency that buys qualifying residential mortgages from lenders, re-packages them and provides certain guarantees. Pass-through securities issued by FHLMC are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest only by FHLMC.
Mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers, whether or not such obligations are subject to guarantees by the private issuer, may entail greater risk than obligations directly or indirectly guaranteed by the U.S. government. The average life of a mortgage-backed security is likely to be substantially less than the original maturity of the mortgage pools underlying the securities. Prepayments of principal by mortgagors and mortgage foreclosures will usually result in the return of the greater part of principal invested far in advance of the maturity of the mortgages in the pool.
Collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) are debt obligations collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities (collateral collectively hereinafter referred to as “Mortgage Assets”). Multi-class pass-through securities are interests in a trust composed of Mortgage Assets and all references in this section to CMOs include multi-class pass-through securities. Principal prepayments on the Mortgage Assets may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates, resulting in a loss of all or part of the premium if any has been paid. Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. The principal and interest payments on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the various classes of CMOs in several ways. Typically, payments of principal, including any prepayments, on the underlying mortgages are applied to the classes in the order of their respective stated maturities or final distribution dates, so that no payment of principal is made on CMOs of a class until all CMOs of other classes having earlier stated maturities or final distribution dates have been paid in full.
Stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”) are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. A Fund will only invest in SMBS that are obligations backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. SMBS are usually structured with
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two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from a pool of Mortgage Assets. A Fund will only invest in SMBS whose Mortgage Assets are U.S. government obligations. A common type of SMBS will be structured so that one class receives some of the interest and most of the principal from the Mortgage Assets, while the other class receives most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. If the underlying Mortgage Assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, each Fund may fail to fully recoup its initial investment in these securities. The market value of any class which consists primarily, or entirely, of principal payments generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates.
Investment in mortgage-backed securities poses several risks, including among others, prepayment, market and credit risk. Prepayment risk reflects the risk that borrowers may prepay their mortgages faster than expected, thereby affecting the investment’s average life and perhaps its yield. Whether or not a mortgage loan is prepaid is almost entirely controlled by the borrower. Borrowers are most likely to exercise prepayment options at the time when it is least advantageous to investors, generally prepaying mortgages as interest rates fall, and slowing payments as interest rates rise. Besides the effect of prevailing interest rates, the rate of prepayment and refinancing of mortgages may also be affected by home value appreciation, ease of the refinancing process and local economic conditions. Market risk reflects the risk that the price of a security may fluctuate over time. The price of mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to prevailing interest rates, the length of time the security is expected to be outstanding, and the liquidity of the issue. In a period of unstable interest rates, there may be decreased demand for certain types of mortgage-backed securities, and a Fund invested in such securities wishing to sell them may find it difficult to find a buyer, which may in turn decrease the price at which they may be sold. Credit risk reflects the risk that a Fund may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer or credit enhancer has defaulted on its obligations. Obligations issued by U.S. government-related entities are guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The performance of private label mortgage-backed securities, issued by private institutions, is based on the financial health of those institutions. With respect to GNMA certificates, although GNMA guarantees timely payment even if homeowners delay or default, tracking the “pass-through” payments may, at times, be difficult.
Municipal Obligations
A Fund may invest in municipal obligations. Municipal securities are fixed-income securities issued by states, counties, cities and other political subdivisions and authorities. Although most municipal securities are exempt from federal income tax, municipalities also may issue taxable securities. Tax exempt securities are generally classified by their source of payment. In addition to the usual risks associated with investing for income, the value of municipal obligations can be affected by changes in the actual or perceived credit quality of the issuers. The credit quality of a municipal obligation can be affected by, among other factors: a) the financial condition of the issuer or guarantor; b) the issuer’s future borrowing plans and sources of revenue; c) the economic feasibility of the revenue bond project or general borrowing purpose; d) political or economic developments in the region or jurisdiction where the security is issued; and e) the liquidity of the security. Because municipal obligations are generally traded OTC, the liquidity of a particular issue often depends on the willingness of dealers to make a market in the security. The liquidity of some municipal issues can be enhanced by demand features, which enable a Fund to demand payment from the issuer or a financial intermediary on short notice.
Options, Futures and Other Derivative Strategies
General. A Fund may use certain options (traded on an exchange or OTC, or otherwise), futures contracts (sometimes referred to as “futures”) and options on futures contracts (collectively, "Financial Instruments") as a substitute for a comparable market position in the underlying security, to attempt to hedge or limit the exposure of a Fund’s position, to create a synthetic money market position, for certain tax-related purposes or to effect closing transactions.
The use of Financial Instruments is subject to applicable regulations of the SEC, the several exchanges upon which they are traded and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”). In addition, a Fund’s ability to use Financial Instruments will be limited by tax considerations. See “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes.”
Under current CFTC regulations, if a Fund uses commodity interests (such as futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swaps) other than for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the CFTC) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish these positions (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions and excluding the amount by which options that are “in-the-money” at the time of purchase) may not exceed 5% of a Fund’s NAV, or alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of those positions, as determined at the time the most recent position was established, may not exceed 100% of the fund’s NAV (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). Accordingly, each Fund has registered, or will register prior to commencement of operations, as commodity pools, and the Adviser has registered as a commodity pool operator with the National Futures Association.
Each Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way a Fund operates, increase the particular costs of a Fund’s operation and/or change the competitive landscape. In this regard, any further
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amendment to the Commodity Exchange Act or its related regulations that subject a Fund to additional regulation may have adverse impacts on a Fund’s operations and expenses.
In addition to the instruments, strategies and risks described below and in the Prospectus, Rafferty may discover additional opportunities in connection with Financial Instruments and other similar or related techniques. These new opportunities may become available as Rafferty develops new techniques, as regulatory authorities broaden the range of permitted transactions and as new Financial Instruments or other techniques are developed. Rafferty may utilize these opportunities to the extent that they are consistent with a Fund’s investment objective and permitted by a Fund’s investment limitations and applicable regulatory authorities. A Fund’s Prospectus or this SAI will be supplemented to the extent that new products or techniques involve materially different risks than those described below or in the Prospectus.
Special Risks. The use of Financial Instruments involves special considerations and risks, certain of which are described below. Risks pertaining to particular Financial Instruments are described in the sections that follow.
(1) Successful use of most Financial Instruments depends upon Rafferty’s ability to predict movements of the overall securities markets, which requires different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets, due to the differences in the natures of those markets, are subject to distortion. Due to the possibility of distortion, a correct forecast of stock market trends by Rafferty may still not result in a successful transaction. Rafferty may be incorrect in its expectations as to the extent of market movements or the time span within which the movements take place, which, thus, may result in the strategy being unsuccessful.
(2) Options and futures prices can diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments. Options and futures prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect or no correlation also may result from differing levels of demand in the options and futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how options and futures and securities are traded, and from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts.
(3) As described below, a Fund might be required to maintain assets as “cover,” maintain segregated accounts or make margin payments when it takes positions in Financial Instruments involving obligations to third parties (e.g., Financial Instruments other than purchased options). If a Fund were unable to close out its positions in such Financial Instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expired or matured. These requirements might impair a Fund’s ability to sell a portfolio security or make an investment when it would otherwise be favorable to do so or require that a Fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time. A Fund’s ability to close out a position in a Financial Instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends on the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the other party to the transaction (the “counterparty”) to enter into a transaction closing out the position. Therefore, there is no assurance that any position can be closed out at a time and price that is favorable to a Fund.
(4) Losses may arise due to unanticipated market price movements, lack of a liquid secondary market for any particular instrument at a particular time or due to losses from premiums paid by a Fund on options transactions.
Cover. Transactions using Financial Instruments, other than purchased options, expose a Fund to an obligation to another party. A Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (1) an offsetting (“covered”) position in securities or other options or futures contracts or (2) cash and liquid assets with a value, marked-to-market daily, sufficient to cover its potential obligations to the extent not covered as provided in (1) above. Each Fund will comply with SEC guidelines regarding cover for these instruments and will, if the guidelines so require, set aside cash or liquid assets in an account with its custodian, the Bank of New York Mellon ("BNYM"), in the prescribed amount as determined daily.
Assets used as cover or held in an account cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding Financial Instrument is open, unless they are replaced with other appropriate assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of a Fund’s assets to cover or accounts could impede portfolio management or a Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.
Options. The value of an option position will reflect, among other things, the current market value of the underlying investment, the time remaining until expiration, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying investment and general market conditions. Options that expire unexercised have no value. Options currently are traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange®, the Exchange and other exchanges, as well as the OTC markets.
By buying a call option on a security, a Fund has the right, in return for the premium paid, to buy the security underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing (selling) a call option and receiving a premium, a Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to deliver securities underlying the option at the exercise price if the option is exercised. By buying a put option, a Fund has the right, in return for the premium, to sell the security underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing a put option, a Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to purchase the securities underlying the option at the exercise price.
Because options premiums paid or received by a Fund are small in relation to the market value of the investments underlying the options, buying and selling put and call options can be more speculative than investing directly in securities.
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A Fund may effectively terminate its right or obligation under an option by entering into a closing transaction. For example, a Fund may terminate its obligation under a call or put option that it had written by purchasing an identical call or put option; this is known as a closing purchase transaction. Conversely, a Fund may terminate a position in a put or call option it had purchased by writing an identical put or call option; this is known as a closing sale transaction. Closing transactions permit a Fund to realize profits or limit losses on an option position prior to its exercise or expiration.
Risks of Options on Currencies and Securities. Exchange-traded options in the United States are issued by a clearing organization affiliated with the exchange on which the option is listed that, in effect, guarantees completion of every exchange-traded option transaction. In contrast, OTC options are contracts between a Fund and its counterparty (usually a securities dealer or a bank) with no clearing organization guarantee. Thus, when a Fund purchases an OTC option, it relies on the counterparty from which it purchased the option to make or take delivery of the underlying investment upon exercise of the option. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of any premium paid by a Fund as well as the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.
A Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions in exchange-traded options depends on the existence of a liquid market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist at any particular time. Closing transactions can be made for OTC options only by negotiating directly with the counterparty, or by a transaction in the secondary market if any such market exists. There can be no assurance that a Fund will in fact be able to close out an OTC option position at a favorable price prior to expiration. In the event of insolvency of the counterparty, a Fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration.
If a Fund were unable to effect a closing transaction for an option it had purchased, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit. The inability to enter into a closing purchase transaction for a covered call option written by a Fund could cause material losses because a Fund would be unable to sell the investment used as cover for the written option until the option expires or is exercised.
Options on Indices. An index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the securities included in the index. Options on indices give the holder the right to receive an amount of cash upon exercise of the option. Receipt of this cash amount will depend upon the closing level of the index upon which the option is based being greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of put) the exercise price of the option. Some stock index options are based on a broad market index such as the S&P 500® Composite Stock Index, the NYSE Composite Index or the NYSE Arca Major Market Index or on a narrower index such as the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Over-the-Counter Index.
Each of the exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options on the same index that may be bought or written by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such options are written on the same or different exchanges or are held or written on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). Under these limitations, option positions of all investment companies advised by Rafferty are combined for purposes of these limits. Pursuant to these limitations, an exchange may order the liquidation of positions and may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These positions limits may restrict the number of listed options that a Fund may buy or sell.
Puts and calls on indices are similar to puts and calls on securities or futures contracts except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities or futures contracts. When a Fund writes a call on an index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from a Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total value for each point of such difference. When a Fund buys a call on an index, it pays a premium and has the same rights to such call as are indicated above. When a Fund buys a put on an index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon a Fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to a Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put, which amount of cash is determined by the multiplier, as described above for calls. When a Fund writes a put on an index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require a Fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the index and the exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.
Risks of Options on Indices. If a Fund has purchased an index option and exercises it before the closing index value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, a Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.
OTC Options. Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows a Fund great flexibility to tailor the option to its needs, OTC options generally involve greater risk than exchange-traded options, which are guaranteed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded.
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Forward Contracts. Each Fund may enter into equity, equity index or interest rate forward contracts for purposes of attempting to gain exposure to an index or group of securities without actually purchasing these securities, or to hedge a position. Forward contracts are two-party contracts pursuant to which one party agrees to pay the counterparty a fixed price for an agreed upon amount of commodities, securities, or the cash value of the commodities, securities or the securities index, at an agreed upon date. Because they are two-party contracts and may have terms greater than seven days, forward contracts may be considered to be illiquid for the Fund’s illiquid investment limitations. A Fund will not enter into any forward contract unless Rafferty believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. A Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a forward contract in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a counterparty. If such a default occurs, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the forward contract, but such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect the Fund’s rights as a creditor.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. A futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take delivery of) the specified security on the expiration date of the contract. An index futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take) an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical delivery of the underlying securities in the index is made.
When a Fund writes an option on a futures contract, it becomes obligated, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. If a Fund writes a call, it assumes a short futures position. If it writes a put, it assumes a long futures position. When a Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, it acquires the right in return for the premium it pays to assume a position in a futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put).
Whether a Fund realizes a gain or loss from futures activities depends upon movements in the underlying security or index. The extent of a Fund’s loss from an unhedged short position in futures contracts or from writing unhedged call options on futures contracts is potentially unlimited. A Fund only purchases and sells futures contracts and options on futures contracts that are traded on a U.S. exchange or board of trade.
No price is paid upon entering into a futures contract. Instead, at the inception of a futures contract a Fund is required to deposit “initial margin” in an amount generally equal to 10% or less of the contract value. Margin also must be deposited when writing a call or put option on a futures contract, in accordance with applicable exchange rules. Unlike margin in securities transactions, initial margin does not represent a borrowing, but rather is in the nature of a performance bond or good-faith deposit that is returned to a Fund at the termination of the transaction if all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Under certain circumstances, such as periods of high volatility, a Fund may be required by an exchange to increase the level of its initial margin payment, and initial margin requirements might be increased generally in the future by regulatory action.
Subsequent “variation margin” payments are made to and from the futures commission merchant daily as the value of the futures position varies, a process known as “marking-to-market.” Variation margin does not involve borrowing, but rather represents a daily settlement of a Fund’s obligations to or from a futures commission merchant. When a Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, the premium paid plus transaction costs is all that is at risk. In contrast, when a Fund purchases or sells a futures contract or writes a call or put option thereon, it is subject to daily variation margin calls that could be substantial in the event of adverse price movements. If a Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it might need to sell securities at a time when such sales are disadvantageous.
Purchasers and sellers of futures contracts and options on futures can enter into offsetting closing transactions, similar to closing transactions in options, by selling or purchasing, respectively, an instrument identical to the instrument purchased or sold. Positions in futures and options on futures contracts may be closed only on an exchange or board of trade that provides a secondary market. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time. In such event, it may not be possible to close a futures contract or options position.
Under certain circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or an option on a futures contract can vary from the previous day’s settlement price; once that limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. Daily price limits do not limit potential losses because prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive days with little or no trading, thereby preventing liquidation of unfavorable positions.
If a Fund were unable to liquidate a futures contract or an option on a futures position due to the absence of a liquid secondary market or the imposition of price limits, it could incur substantial losses. A Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. In addition, except in the case of purchased options, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments and might be required to maintain cash or liquid assets in an account.
Risks of Futures Contracts and Options Thereon. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets (including the options on futures markets), due to differences in the natures of those markets, are subject to the following factors, which may create distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which could distort the normal relationships between the cash and futures markets. Second, the
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liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause temporary price distortions.
Risks Associated with Commodity Futures Contracts. There are several additional risks associated with transactions in commodity futures contracts.
Storage. Unlike the financial futures markets, in the commodity futures markets there are costs of physical storage associated with purchasing the underlying commodity. The price of the commodity futures contract will reflect the storage costs of purchasing the physical commodity, including the time value of money invested in the physical commodity. To the extent that the storage costs for an underlying commodity change while a Fund is invested in futures contracts on that commodity, the value of the futures contract may change proportionately.
Reinvestment. In the commodity futures markets, producers of the underlying commodity may decide to hedge the price risk of selling the commodity by selling futures contracts today to lock in the price of the commodity at delivery tomorrow. In order to induce speculators to purchase the other side of the same futures contract, the commodity producer generally must sell the futures contract at a lower price than the expected future spot price. Conversely, if most hedgers in the futures market are purchasing futures contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, then speculators will only sell the other side of the futures contract at a higher futures price than the expected future spot price of the commodity. The changing nature of the hedgers and speculators in the commodity markets will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price, which can have significant implications for a Fund. If the nature of hedgers and speculators in futures markets has shifted when it is time for a Fund to reinvest the proceeds of a maturing contract in a new futures contract, the Fund might reinvest at higher or lower futures prices, or choose to pursue other investments.
Other Economic Factors. The commodities which underlie commodity futures contracts may be subject to additional economic and non-economic variables, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political and regulatory developments. These factors may have a larger impact on commodity prices and commodity-linked instruments, including futures contracts, than on traditional securities. Certain commodities are also subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of the prices for certain raw materials and the instability of supplies of other materials. These additional variables may create additional investment risks which subject a Fund’s investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities.
Combined Positions. A Fund may purchase and write options in combination with each other. For example, a Fund may purchase a put option and write a call option on the same underlying instrument, in order to construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract. Another possible combined position would involve writing a call option at one strike price and buying a call option at a lower price, in order to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.
Other Investment Companies
Open-end and Closed-end Investment Companies. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, including open- and closed-end funds and ETFs. Investments in the securities of other investment companies may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company, a Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly will bear a Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders bear in connection with a Fund’s own operations.
Each Fund intends to limit its investments in securities issued by other investment companies in accordance with the 1940 Act. Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act precludes a Fund from acquiring (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of another investment company; (ii) shares of another investment company having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund; or (iii) shares of another registered investment company and all other investment companies having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the Fund. However, Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act provides that the provisions of paragraph 12(d) shall not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by a Fund if (i) immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of such investment company is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the Fund; and (ii) the Fund has not offered or sold, and is not proposing to offer or sell its shares through a principal underwriter or otherwise at a public or offering price that includes a sales load of more than 1 1/2%.
If a Fund invests in investment companies pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F), it must comply with the following voting restrictions: when the Fund exercises voting rights, by proxy or otherwise, with respect to investment companies owned by the Fund, the Fund will either seek instruction from the Funds' shareholders with regard to the voting of all proxies and vote in
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accordance with such instructions, or vote the shares held by a Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of such security. In addition, an investment company purchased by a Fund pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F) shall not be required to redeem its shares in an amount exceeding 1% of such investment company’s total outstanding shares in any period of less than thirty days. Also, to the extent that an ETF has exemptive relief under Section 12(d)(1)(J), a Fund may rely on that exemptive relief to exceed the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1)(A).
Shares of another investment company or ETF that has received exemptive relief from the SEC to permit other funds to invest in its shares without these limitations are excluded from such restrictions to the extent that a Fund has complied with the requirements of such orders. To the extent that a Fund invests in open-end or closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in the securities of companies located outside the United States, see the risks related to foreign securities set forth above.
Exchange-Traded Products. Each Fund may invest in Exchange Traded Products (“ETPs”), which include ETFs, partnerships, commodity pools or trusts that are bought and sold on a securities exchange. A Fund may also invest in exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”), which are structured debt securities, whereby the issuer of the ETN promises to pay ETN holders the return on an index or market segment over a certain period of time and then return the principal of the investment at maturity. Whereas ETPs’ liabilities are secured by their portfolio securities, ETNs’ liabilities are unsecured general obligations of the issuer. Therefore, ETNs are subject to the credit risk of the issuer of the ETN, which is different than other ETPs. Most ETPs and ETNs are designed to track a particular market segment or index, although an ETP or ETN may be actively managed. ETPs and ETNs share expenses associated with their operation, typically including advisory fees and other management expenses. When a Fund invests in an ETP or ETN, in addition to directly bearing expenses associated with its own operations, it will bear its pro rata portion of the ETP’s or ETN’s expenses. The risks of owning an ETP or ETN generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETP or ETN is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETP or ETN could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. In addition, because of ETP or ETN expenses, compared to owning the underlying securities directly, it may be more costly to own an ETP or ETN. The value of an ETN security should also be expected to fluctuate with the credit rating of the issuer.
Additionally, a Fund may invest in swap agreements referencing ETFs. If a Fund invests in ETFs or swap agreements referencing ETFs, the underlying ETFs may not necessarily track the same index as a Fund.
Money Market Funds. Money market funds are open-end registered investment companies which have historically traded at a stable $1.00 per share price. In July 2014, the SEC adopted amendments to money market fund regulations (“2014 Amendments”) intended to address perceived systemic risks associated with money market funds and to improve transparency for money market fund investors. In general, the 2014 Amendments require money market funds that do not meet the definitions of a retail money market fund or government money market fund to transact at a floating NAV per share (similar to all other non-money market mutual funds), instead of at a $1 stable share price, as has traditionally been the case. The 2014 Amendments also permit all money market funds to impose liquidity fees and redemption gates for use in times of market stress. The SEC also adopted additional diversification, stress testing, and disclosure measures. The 2014 Amendments represent significant departures from the traditional operation of money market funds and the impact that these amendments might have on money market funds is unclear; however, any impact on the trading and value of money market instruments as a result of the 2014 Amendments may negatively affect a Fund’s yield and return potential. The 2014 Amendments became effective in October 2016.
Real Estate Companies
A Fund may make investments in the securities of real estate companies, which are regarded as those which derive at least 50% of their respective revenues from the ownership, construction, financing, management or sale of commercial, industrial, or residential real estate, or have at least 50% of their respective assets in such real estate. Such investments include common stocks (including real estate investment trust shares, see “Real Estate Investment Trusts” below), rights or warrants to purchase common stocks, securities convertible into common stocks where the conversion feature represents, in Rafferty’s view, a significant element of the securities’ value, and preferred stocks.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)
A Fund may make investments in REITs. REITs include equity, mortgage and hybrid REITs. Equity REITs own real estate properties, and their revenue comes principally from rent. Mortgage REITs loan money to real estate owners, and their revenue comes principally from interest earned on their mortgage loans. Hybrid REITs combine characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs. The value of an equity REIT may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property, while a mortgage REIT may be affected by the quality of the credit extended. The performance of both types of REITs depends upon conditions in the real estate industry, management skills and the amount of cash flow. The risks associated with REITs include defaults by borrowers, self-liquidation, failure to qualify as a pass-through entity under the federal tax law, failure to qualify as an exempt entity under the 1940 Act and the fact that REITs are not diversified.
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Repurchase Agreements
A Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System or securities dealers who are members of a national securities exchange or are primary dealers in U.S. government securities. Repurchase agreements generally are for a short period of time, usually less than a week. Under a repurchase agreement, a Fund purchases a U.S. government security and simultaneously agrees to sell the security back to the seller at a mutually agreed-upon future price and date, normally one day or a few days later. The resale price is greater than the purchase price, reflecting an agreed-upon market interest rate during a Fund’s holding period. While the maturities of the underlying securities in repurchase agreement transactions may be more than one year, the term of each repurchase agreement always will be less than one year. Repurchase agreements with a maturity of more than seven days are considered to be illiquid investments. A Fund may not enter into such a repurchase agreement if, as a result, more than 15% of the value of its net assets would then be invested in such repurchase agreements and other illiquid investments. See “Illiquid Investments and Restricted Securities” above.
A Fund will always receive, as collateral, securities whose market value, including accrued interest, at all times will be at least equal to 100% of the dollar amount invested by a Fund in each repurchase agreement. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the seller, a Fund will liquidate those securities (whose market value, including accrued interest, must be at least 100% of the amount invested by a Fund) held under the applicable repurchase agreement, which securities constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to repurchase the security. If the seller defaults, a Fund might incur a loss if the value of the collateral securing the repurchase agreement declines and might incur disposition costs in connection with liquidating the collateral. In addition, if bankruptcy or similar proceedings are commenced with respect to the seller of the security, realization upon the collateral by a Fund may be delayed or limited.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
A Fund may borrow by entering into reverse repurchase agreements with the same parties with whom it may enter into repurchase agreements. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, a Fund sells securities and agrees to repurchase them at a mutually agreed to price. At the time a Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will establish and maintain a segregated account with an approved custodian containing liquid high-grade securities, marked-to-market daily, having a value not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of securities retained in lieu of sale by a Fund may decline below the price of the securities a Fund has sold but is obliged to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, such buyer or its trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce a Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities. During that time, a Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement effectively may be restricted. Reverse repurchase agreements create leverage, a speculative factor, and are considered borrowings for the purpose of a Fund’s limitation on borrowing.
Short Sales
A Fund may engage in short sale transactions under which a Fund sells a security it does not own. To complete such a transaction, a Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. A Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by a Fund. Until the security is replaced, a Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividends that accrue during the period of the loan. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet the margin requirements, until the short position is closed out.
Until a Fund closes its short position or replaces the borrowed stock, a Fund will: (1) maintain an account containing cash or liquid assets at such a level that (a) the amount deposited in the account plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will equal the current value of the stock sold short and (b) the amount deposited in the account plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will not be less than the market value of the stock at the time the stock was sold short; or (2) otherwise cover a Fund’s short position.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk
An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and a Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt obligation, including U.S. Treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect a Fund. Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and
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less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which a Fund may invest and/or have exposure to have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
Swap Agreements
A Fund may enter into swap agreements. Swap agreements are generally two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a day to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. Some swaps are, and more in the future will be, centrally cleared. Swaps that are centrally-cleared are subject to the creditworthiness of the clearing organizations involved in the transaction. For example, an investor could lose margin payments it has deposited with the clearing organization as well as the net amount of gains not yet paid by the clearing organization if it breaches its agreement with the investor or becomes insolvent or goes into bankruptcy. In the event of bankruptcy of the clearing organization, the investor may be entitled to the net amount of gains the investor is entitled to receive plus the return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the clearing organization’s other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the investor.
An interest rate swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange interest payments on a designated amount of two different securities for a designated period of time. For example, two parties may agree to exchange interest payments on variable and fixed rate instruments. A Fund may enter into interest rate swap transactions to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or a portion of its bond portfolio.
A total return swap is a contract whereby one party agrees to make a series of payments to another party based on the change in the market value of the assets underlying such contract (which can include a security, commodity, index or baskets thereof) during the specified period. In exchange, the other party to the contract agrees to make a series of payments calculated by reference to an interest rate and/or some other agreed-upon amount (including the change in market value of other underlying assets). A Fund may use total return swaps to gain exposure to an asset without owning it or taking physical custody of it. For example, a Fund investing in total return commodity swaps will receive the price appreciation of a commodity, commodity index or portion thereof in exchange for payment of an agreed-upon fee.
In a credit default swap, the credit default protection buyer makes periodic payments, known as premiums, to the credit default protection seller. In return the credit default protection seller will make a payment to the credit default protection buyer upon the occurrence of a specified credit event. A credit default swap can refer to a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets, each known as the reference entity or underlying asset. A Fund may act as either the buyer or the seller of a credit default swap. A Fund may buy or sell credit default protection on a basket of issuers or assets, even if a number of the underlying assets referenced in the basket are lower-quality debt securities. In an unhedged credit default swap, a Fund buys credit default protection on a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets without owning the underlying asset or debt issued by the reference entity. Credit default swaps involve greater and different risks than investing directly in the referenced asset, because, in addition to market risk, credit default swaps include liquidity, counterparty and operational risk.
Credit default swaps allow a fund to acquire or reduce credit exposure to a particular issuer, asset or basket of assets. If a swap agreement calls for payments by a fund, the Fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. If a Fund is the credit default protection seller, the Fund will experience a loss if a credit event occurs and the credit of the reference entity or underlying asset has deteriorated. If a Fund is the credit default protection buyer, the Fund will be required to pay premiums to the credit default protection seller.
Most swap agreements entered into by a Fund calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently, a Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement generally will be equal to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). Payments may be made at the conclusion of a swap agreement or periodically during its term.
Swap agreements do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, if a swap is entered into on a net basis, if the other party to a swap agreement defaults, a Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that such Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any.
The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to a swap agreement entered into on a net basis will be accrued daily and an amount of cash or liquid asset having an aggregate NAV at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in an account with the Custodian that satisfies the 1940 Act. A Fund also will establish and maintain such accounts with respect to its total obligations under any swaps that are not entered into on a net basis.
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Obligations under swap agreements so covered will not be construed to be “senior securities” for purposes of a Fund’s investment restriction concerning senior securities.
Because they are generally two-party contracts and may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid for a Fund’s illiquid investment limitations. A Fund will not enter into any swap agreement unless Rafferty believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. A Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty.
A Fund may enter into a swap agreement with respect to an index in circumstances where Rafferty believes that it may be more cost effective or practical than buying the underlying securities represented by such index or a futures contract or an option on such index. The counterparty to any swap agreement will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker-dealer. The counterparty will generally agree to pay a Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the swap agreement would have increased in value had it been invested in the particular stocks represented in the index, plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. A Fund will agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the swap agreement plus the amount, if any, by which the notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to a Fund on any swap agreement should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by a Fund on the notional amount.
The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. In addition, as discussed above, some swaps currently are, and more in the future will be, centrally cleared, which affects how swaps are transacted. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments that are traded in the OTC market. Rafferty, under the supervision of the Board, is responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of Fund transactions in swap agreements.
The use of equity swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions.
Unrated Debt Securities
A Fund may also invest in unrated debt securities. Unrated debt, while not necessarily lower in quality than rated securities, may not have as broad a market. Because of the size and perceived demand for the issue, among other factors, certain issuers may decide not to pay the cost of getting a rating for their bonds. The creditworthiness of the issuer, as well as any financial institution or other party responsible for payments on the security, will be analyzed to determine whether to purchase unrated bonds.
U.S. Government Securities
A Fund may invest in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities (“U.S. government securities”) in pursuit of its investment objective, in order to deposit such securities as initial or variation margin, as “cover” for the investment techniques it employs, as part of a cash reserve or for liquidity purposes.
U.S. government securities are high-quality instruments issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Treasury Department (“U.S. Treasury”) or by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. government. Not all U.S. government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some are backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; others are backed by discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agencies’ obligations; while others are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment.
U.S. government securities include U.S. Treasury obligations, which includes U.S. Treasury Bills (which mature within one year of the date they are issued), U.S. Treasury Notes (which have maturities of one to ten years) and U.S. Treasury Bonds (which generally have maturities of more than 10 years). All such U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.
U.S. government securities also include obligations issued by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (such as securities issued or guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration, Freddie Mac©, Fannie Mae®, Ginnie Mae®, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the General Services Administration and the Maritime Administration and certain securities issued by the Small Business Administration).
Also, U.S. government securities include securities that are guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored entities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (such as Fannie Mae®, Freddie Mac®, or the Federal Home Loan Banks). These U.S. government-sponsored entities, although chartered and sponsored by the U.S. Congress, are not guaranteed, nor insured, by the U.S. government, They are supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or corporation.
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In September 2008, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) announced that Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® had been placed in conservatorship. Since that time, Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® have received significant capital support through U.S. Treasury preferred stock purchases, as well as U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve purchases of their mortgage backed securities (“MBS”). The FHFA and the U.S. Treasury (through its agreement to purchase Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® preferred stock) have imposed strict limits on the size of their mortgage portfolios. While the MBS purchase programs ended in 2010, the U.S. Treasury continued its support for the entities’ capital as necessary to prevent a negative net worth through at least 2012. Although the U.S. Treasury and other governmental entities provided significant support to Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac®, there is no guarantee they would do so again. An FHFA stress test suggested that in a “severely adverse scenario” additional Treasury support of between $84.4 billion and $190 billion (depending on the treatment of deferred tax assets) might be required. Nonetheless, no assurance can be given that Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® will remain successful in meeting their obligations with respect to the debt and mortgage-backed securities that they issue.
In addition, the problems faced by Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac®, resulting in their being placed into federal conservatorship and receiving significant U.S. government support, have sparked serious debate among federal policy makers regarding the continued role of the U.S. government in providing liquidity for mortgage loans. In December 2011, Congress enacted the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act (“TCCA”) of 2011 which, among other provisions, requires that Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® increase their single-family guaranty fees by at least 10 basis points and remit this increase to Treasury with respect to all loans acquired by Fannie Mae® or Freddie Mac® on or after April 1, 2012 and before January 1, 2022. Serious discussions among policymakers continue, however, as to whether Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® should be nationalized, privatized, restructured, or eliminated altogether. Fannie Mae reported in the second quarter of 2014 that there was “significant uncertainty regarding the future of our company, including how long the company will continue to exist in its current form, the extent of our role in the market, what form we will have, and what ownership interest, if any, our current common and preferred stockholders will hold in us after the conservatorship is terminated and whether we will continue to exist following conservatorship.” Freddie Mac faces similar uncertainty about its future role. Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® also are the subject of several continuing legal actions and investigations over certain accounting, disclosure, or corporate governance matters, which (along with any resulting financial restatements) may continue to have an adverse effect on the guaranteeing entities.
Yields on short-, intermediate- and long-term U.S. government securities are dependent on a variety of factors, including the general conditions of the money and bond markets, the size of a particular offering and the maturity of the obligation. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher capital appreciation and depreciation than obligations with shorter maturities and lower yields. The market value of U.S. government securities generally varies inversely with changes in the market interest rates. An increase in interest rates, therefore, generally would reduce the market value of a Fund’s portfolio investments in U.S. government securities, while a decline in interest rates generally would increase the market value of a Fund’s portfolio investments in these securities.
U.S. Government Sponsored Enterprises (“GSEs”)
GSE securities are securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. Some obligations issued by GSEs are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality and others only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality. Those securities bear fixed, floating or variable rates of interest. Interest may fluctuate based on generally recognized reference rates or the relationship of rates. While the U.S. government currently provides financial support to such GSEs or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it will always do so, since it is not so obligated by law.
Certain U.S. government debt securities, such as securities of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. Others, such as securities issued by Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac®, are supported only by the credit of the corporation. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, a fund must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation in the event the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitments. The U.S. government may choose not to provide financial support to GSEs or instrumentalities if it is not legally obligated to do so. A fund will invest in securities of such instrumentalities only when Rafferty is satisfied that the credit risk with respect to any such instrumentality is comparatively minimal.
When-Issued Securities
A Fund may enter into firm commitment agreements for the purchase of securities on a specified future date. A Fund may purchase, for example, new issues of fixed-income instruments on a when-issued basis, whereby the payment obligation, or yield to maturity, or coupon rate on the instruments may not be fixed at the time of transaction. A Fund will not purchase securities on a when-issued basis if, as a result, more than 15% of its net assets would be so invested. If a Fund enters into a firm commitment agreement, liability for the purchase price and the rights and risks of ownership of the security accrue to a Fund at the time it becomes obligated to purchase such security, although delivery and payment occur at a later date. Accordingly, if the market price of the security should decline, the effect of such an agreement would be to obligate a Fund to purchase the security at a price above the current market price on the date of delivery and payment. During the
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time a Fund is obligated to purchase such a security, it will be required to segregate assets with an approved custodian in an amount sufficient to settle the transaction.
Zero-Coupon, Payment-In-Kind and Strip Securities
A Fund may invest in zero-coupon, payment-in-kind and strip securities of any rating or maturity. Zero-coupon securities make no periodic interest payment but are sold at a deep discount from their face value, otherwise known as “original issue discount” or “OID.” The buyer earns a rate of return determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed at face value on a specified maturity date. The OID varies depending on the time remaining until maturity, as well as market interest rates, liquidity of the security, and the issuer’s perceived credit quality. If the issuer defaults, a Fund may not receive any return on its investment. Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest and compound semi-annually at the rate fixed at the time of issuance, their value generally is more volatile than the value of other fixed-income securities. Since zero-coupon security holders do not receive interest payments, when interest rates rise, zero-coupon securities fall more dramatically in value than securities paying interest on a current basis. When interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities rise more rapidly in value because the securities reflect a fixed rate of return. Payment-in-kind securities allow the issuer, at its option, to make current interest payments either in cash or in additional debt obligations of the issuer. Both zero-coupon securities and payment-in-kind securities allow an issuer to avoid the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments.
An investment in zero-coupon securities and delayed interest securities (which do not make interest payments until after a specified time) may cause a Fund to recognize income and be required to make distributions thereof to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on its investment. Moreover, even though payment-in-kind securities do not pay current interest in cash, a Fund nonetheless is required to accrue interest income on these investments and to distribute the interest income at least annually to shareholders. See “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes Income from Zero Coupon and Payment-in-Kind Securities.” Thus, a Fund could be required at times to liquidate other investments to satisfy distribution requirements.
A Fund may also invest in strips, which are debt securities whose interest coupons are taken out and traded separately after the securities are issued but otherwise are comparable to zero-coupon securities. Like zero-coupon securities and payment-in-kind securities, strips are generally more sensitive to interest rate fluctuations than interest paying securities of comparable term and quality.
Other Investment Risks and Practices
Borrowing. A Fund may borrow money for investment purposes, which is a form of leveraging. Leveraging investments, by purchasing securities with borrowed money, is a speculative technique that increases investment risk while increasing investment opportunity. Leverage will magnify changes in a Fund’s NAV and on a Fund’s investments. Although the principal of such borrowings will be fixed, a Fund’s assets may change in value during the time the borrowing is outstanding. Leverage also creates interest expenses for a Fund. To the extent the income derived from securities purchased with borrowed funds exceeds the interest a Fund will have to pay, that Fund’s net income will be greater than it would be if leverage were not used. Conversely, if the income from the assets obtained with borrowed funds is not sufficient to cover the cost of leveraging, the net income of a Fund will be less than it would be if leverage were not used, and therefore the amount available for distribution to shareholders as dividends will be reduced. The use of derivatives in connection with leverage creates the potential for significant loss.
A Fund may borrow money to facilitate management of a Fund’s portfolio by enabling a Fund to meet redemption requests when the liquidation of portfolio instruments would be inconvenient or disadvantageous. Such borrowing is not for investment purposes and will be repaid by the borrowing Fund promptly.
As required by the 1940 Act, a Fund must maintain continuous asset coverage (total assets, including assets acquired with borrowed funds, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of all amounts borrowed. If at any time the value of the required asset coverage declines as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, a Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio investments within three days to reduce the amount of its borrowings and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell portfolio instruments at that time.
Lending Portfolio Securities. Each Fund may lend portfolio securities with a value not exceeding 33 1/3% of its total assets to brokers, dealers, and financial institutions. Borrowers are required continuously to secure their obligations to return securities on loan from a Fund by depositing any combination of short-term government securities, shares of registered and unregistered money market funds and cash as collateral with a Fund. The collateral must be equal to at least 100% of the market value of the loaned securities, which will be marked to market daily. The value of this collateral could decline, causing the Fund to experience a loss. While a Fund’s portfolio securities are on loan, a Fund continues to receive interest on the securities loaned and simultaneously earns either interest on the investment of the collateral or fee income if the loan is otherwise collateralized. A Fund may invest the interest received and the collateral, thereby earning additional income. Loans would be subject to termination by the lending Fund on a four-business days’ notice or by the borrower on a one-day notice. Borrowed securities must be returned when the loan is terminated. Any gain or loss in the market price
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of the borrowed securities that occurs during the term of the loan inures to the lending Fund and that Fund’s shareholders. A lending Fund may pay reasonable finders, borrowers, administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan. A Fund could lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed or prevented from selling the collateral after a loan is made, in recovering the securities loaned or if the Fund incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. Each Fund currently has no intention of lending its portfolio securities.
Portfolio Turnover. The Trust anticipates that each Fund’s annual portfolio turnover will vary. A Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated by the value of the securities purchased or securities sold, excluding all securities whose terms-to-maturity at the time of acquisition were less than 397 days, divided by the average monthly value of such securities owned during the year. Based on this calculation, instruments with remaining terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover rate. Such instruments generally would include futures contracts and options, since such contracts generally have remaining terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days. In any given period, all of a Fund’s investments may have remaining terms-to-maturity of less than 397 days; in that case, the portfolio turnover rate for that period would be equal to zero. However, each Fund’s portfolio turnover rate calculated with all securities whose terms-to-maturity were less than 397 days is anticipated to be unusually high.
High portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales also may result in adverse tax consequences to a Fund’s shareholders resulting from its distributions of increased net capital gains, if any, recognized as a result of the sales. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund’s performance.
Correlation and Tracking Risk
Several factors may affect a Fund's ability to obtain its daily leveraged investment objective. Among these factors are: (1) Fund expenses, including brokerage expenses and commissions and financing costs related to derivatives (which may be increased by high portfolio turnover); (2) less than all of the securities in the underlying index being held by a Fund and securities not included in the underlying index being held by a Fund; (3) an imperfect correlation between the performance of instruments held by a Fund, such as other investment companies, including ETFs, futures contracts and options, and the performance of the underlying securities in the cash market comprising an index; (4) bid-ask spreads; (5) a Fund holding instruments that are illiquid or the market for which becomes disrupted; (6) the need to conform a Fund’s portfolio holdings to comply with the Fund’s investment restrictions or policies, or regulatory or tax law requirements; (7) market movements that run counter to a Fund’s investments (which will cause divergence between a Fund and its underlying index over time due to the mathematical effects of leveraging); and (8) disruptions and illiquidity in the markets for securities or derivatives held by a Fund.
While index futures and options contracts closely correlate with the applicable indices over long periods, shorter-term deviation, such as on a daily basis, does occur with these instruments. As a result, a Fund’s short-term performance will reflect such deviation from its underlying index.
Even if there is a perfect correlation between a Fund and the leveraged return of its underlying index on a daily basis, the symmetry between the changes in the underlying index and the changes in a Fund’s NAV can be altered significantly over time by a compounding effect. For example, if a Bull Fund achieved a perfect leveraged correlation with its underlying index on every trading day over an extended period and the level of returns of that index significantly increased during that period, a compounding effect for that period would result, causing an increase in a Bull Fund’s NAV by a percentage that is somewhat greater than the percentage that the underlying index’s returns decreased. Conversely, if a Bear Fund maintained a perfect inverse leveraged correlation with its underlying index over an extended period and if the level of returns of that index significantly increased over that period, a compounding effect would result, causing a decrease of a Bear Fund’s NAV by a percentage that would be somewhat less than the percentage that the underlying index returns increased.
Leverage
Each Fund intends regularly to use leveraged investment techniques in pursuing its investment objectives. Utilization of leverage involves special risks and should be considered to be speculative. Leverage exists when a Fund achieves the right to a return on a capital base that exceeds the amount the Fund has invested. Leverage creates the potential for greater gains to shareholders of a Fund during favorable market conditions and the risk of magnified losses during adverse market conditions. Leverage is likely to cause higher volatility of the NAV of each Fund’s Shares. Leverage may involve the creation of a liability that does not entail any interest costs or the creation of a liability that requires a Fund to pay interest which would decrease the Fund’s total return to shareholders. If each Fund achieves its investment objective, during adverse market conditions, shareholders should experience a loss greater than they would have incurred had a Fund not been leveraged.
Special Note Regarding the Correlation Risks of the Funds. As discussed in the Prospectus, each Fund is “leveraged” in the sense that each has an investment objective to match 300% or -300% of the performance of an underlying index on a
29

 

given day. Each Fund is subject to all of the correlation risks described in the Prospectus. In addition, there is a special form of correlation risk that derives from each Fund’s use of leverage, which is that for periods greater than one day, the use of leverage tends to cause the performance of a Fund to be either greater than, or less than, 300% or -300% of the performance of a Fund’s underlying index.
A Fund’s return for periods longer than one day is primarily a function of the following:
a) underlying index performance;
b) underlying index volatility;
c) financing rates associated with leverage;
d) other fund expenses;
e) dividends paid by companies in the underlying index; and
f) period of time.
The fund performance for a Fund can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the factors described above. The tables below illustrate the impact of two factors, underlying index volatility and underlying index performance, on a Fund. Underlying index volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns of an index and is calculated as the standard deviation of the natural logarithms of one plus the index return (calculated daily), multiplied by the square root of the number of trading days per year (assumed to be 252). The tables show estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of underlying index performance and underlying index volatility over a one year period. Assumptions used in the tables include: a) no dividends paid by the companies included in the underlying index; b) no fund expenses; and c) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leverage) of zero percent. If fund expenses were included, a Fund’s performance would be lower than shown.
As shown below, a Bull Fund would be expected to lose 17.1% and a Bear Fund would be expected to lose 31.3% if the underlying index provided no return over a one year period during which the underlying index experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the underlying index’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one year period widens to approximately 81.5% for a Bull Fund and 96.6% for a Bear Fund.
At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a near complete loss of value even if the underlying index is flat. For instance, if the underlying index’s annualized volatility is 100%, it is likely that a Bull Fund would lose 95% of its value, and a Bear Fund would lose approximately 100% of its value, even if the underlying index’s cumulative return for the year was only 0%. The volatility of ETFs or instruments that reflect the value of the underlying index such as swaps, may differ from the volatility of a Fund's underlying index.
In the tables below, areas shaded green represent those scenarios where a Fund with the investment objective described will outperform (i.e., return more than) the underlying index performance times the stated multiple in the Fund’s investment objective; conversely areas shaded red represent those scenarios where the Fund will underperform (i.e., return less than) the underlying index performance times the stated multiple in the Fund’s investment objective.
The tables below are intended to underscore the fact that the Funds are designed as short-term trading vehicles for investors who intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. They are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For additional information regarding correlation and volatility risk for the Funds, see “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” in the Prospectus.
Bull Fund
One
Year
Index
300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% -180% -93.8% -94.7% -97.0% -98.8% -99.7%
-50% -150% -87.9% -89.6% -94.1% -97.7% -99.4%
-40% -120% -79.0% -82.1% -89.8% -96.0% -98.9%
-30% -90% -66.7% -71.6% -83.8% -93.7% -98.3%
-20% -60% -50.3% -57.6% -75.8% -90.5% -97.5%
-10% -30% -29.3% -39.6% -65.6% -86.5% -96.4%
0% 0% -3.0% -17.1% -52.8% -81.5% -95.0%
10% 30% 29.2% 10.3% -37.1% -75.4% -93.4%
20% 60% 67.7% 43.3% -18.4% -68.0% -91.4%
30% 90% 113.2% 82.1% 3.8% -59.4% -89.1%
40% 120% 166.3% 127.5% 29.6% -49.2% -86.3%
50% 150% 227.5% 179.8% 59.4% -37.6% -83.2%
60% 180% 297.5% 239.6% 93.5% -24.2% -79.6%
    
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Bear Fund
One
Year
Index
-300%
One
Year
Index
Volatility Rate
Return Return 10% 25% 50% 75% 100%
-60% 180% 1371.5% 973.9% 248.6% -46.5% -96.1%
-50% 150% 653.4% 449.8% 78.5% -72.6% -98.0%
-40% 120% 336.0% 218.2% 3.3% -84.2% -98.9%
-30% 90% 174.6% 100.4% -34.9% -90.0% -99.3%
-20% 60% 83.9% 34.2% -56.4% -93.3% -99.5%
-10% 30% 29.2% -5.7% -69.4% -95.3% -99.7%
0% 0% -5.8% -31.3% -77.7% -96.6% -99.8%
10% -30% -29.2% -48.4% -83.2% -97.4% -99.8%
20% -60% -45.5% -60.2% -87.1% -98.0% -99.9%
30% -90% -57.1% -68.7% -89.8% -98.4% -99.9%
40% -120% -65.7% -75.0% -91.9% -98.8% -99.9%
50% -150% -72.1% -79.6% -93.4% -99.0% -99.9%
60% -180% -77.0% -83.2% -94.6% -99.2% -99.9%
The foregoing tables are intended to isolate the effect of underlying index volatility and underlying index performance on the return of a Fund. A Fund’s actual returns may be significantly greater or less than the returns shown above as a result of any of factors discussed above or under “Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” in the Prospectus.
Investment Restrictions
The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has adopted the following investment policies which are fundamental policies that may not be changed without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. As defined by the 1940 Act, a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund” means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund or (2) 67% or more of the shares present at a shareholders’ meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy.
Each Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy of the Fund. Non-fundamental policies may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.
For purposes of the following limitations, all percentage limitations apply immediately after a purchase or initial investment. Except with respect to borrowing money, if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of the investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such restrictions. If at any time a Fund’s borrowings exceed its limitations due to a decline in net assets, such borrowings will be reduced within three days (not including Sundays and holidays), or such longer period as may be permitted by the 1940 Act, to the extent necessary to comply with the one-third limitation.
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Each Fund may not:
1. Borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
2. Issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
3. Make loans, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
4. Except for any Fund that is “concentrated” in an industry or group of industries within the meaning of the 1940 Act, purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, 25% or more of a Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry. However, each Fund that tracks an underlying index will only concentrate its investment in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent as its underlying index is so concentrated.
5. Purchase or sell real estate, except that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, each Fund may (a) invest in securities or other instruments directly secured by real estate, and (b) invest in securities or other instruments issued by issuers that invest in real estate.
6. Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments issued by persons that purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts; but this shall not prevent a Fund from purchasing, selling and entering into financial futures contracts (including futures contracts on indices of securities, interest rates and currencies), and options on financial futures contracts (including futures contracts on indices of securities, interest rates and currencies), warrants, swaps, forward contracts, foreign currency spot and forward contracts and other financial instruments.
7. Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that a Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act in the disposition of restricted securities or other investment company securities.
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage
Subject to the general supervision by the Trustees, Rafferty is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for each Fund, the selection of broker-dealers to effect the transactions, and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. Rafferty expects that a Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealers, for a commission, in conformity with the 1940 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
When selecting a broker or dealer to execute portfolio transactions, Rafferty considers many factors, including the rate of commission or the size of the broker-dealer’s “spread,” the size and difficulty of the order, the nature of the market for the security, operational capabilities of the broker-dealer and the research, statistical and economic data furnished by the broker-dealer to Rafferty.
In effecting portfolio transactions for a Fund, Rafferty seeks to receive the closing prices of securities that are in line with those of the securities included in a Fund's underlying index and seeks to execute trades of such securities at the lowest commission rate reasonably available. With respect to agency transactions, Rafferty may execute trades at a higher rate of commission if reasonable in relation to brokerage and research services provided to a Fund or Rafferty. Such services may include the following: information as to the availability of securities for purchase or sale; statistical or factual information or opinions pertaining to investment; wire services; and appraisals or evaluations of portfolio securities. Each Fund believes that the requirement to always seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede effective portfolio management and preclude a Fund and Rafferty from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, Rafferty relies upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage and research services received from the broker effecting the transaction.
Rafferty may use research and services provided to it by brokers in servicing a Fund; however, not all such services may be used by Rafferty in connection with a Fund. While the receipt of such information and services is useful in varying degrees and generally would reduce the amount of research or services otherwise performed by Rafferty, this information and these services are of indeterminable value and would not reduce Rafferty’s investment advisory fee to be paid by a Fund.
Purchases and sales of U.S. government securities normally are transacted through issuers, underwriters or major dealers in U.S. government securities acting as principals. Such transactions are made on a net basis and do not involve payment of brokerage commissions. The cost of securities purchased from an underwriter usually includes a commission paid by the issuer to the underwriters; transactions with dealers normally reflect the spread between bid and asked prices.
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No brokerage commissions are provided for the Funds because they had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
Portfolio Holdings Information
Disclosure of a Fund’s complete holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter in the Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report to Fund shareholders and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-Q. These reports are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, each Fund’s portfolio holdings will be made available on the Funds' website at www.direxioninvestments.com each day the Funds are open for business.
The portfolio composition file (“PCF”), which contains portfolio holdings information and the IOPV, which contains certain information, is made available daily, including to the Funds' service providers to facilitate the provision of services to the Funds and to certain other entities as necessary for transactions in Creation Units. Such entities may be limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) members, subscribers to various fee-based services, investors that have entered into an authorized participant agreement with the Distributor and the transfer agent or purchase Creation Units through a dealer that has entered into such an agreement (“Authorized Participants”), and other institutional market participants that provide information services. Each business day, Fund portfolio holdings information will be provided to the Distributor or other agent for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC and/or through other fee-based services to NSCC members and/or subscribers to the fee-based services, including Authorized Participants, and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading shares of Funds in the secondary market.
Daily access to the PCF file and IOPV is permitted to: (i) certain personnel of service providers that are involved in portfolio management and providing administrative, operational, or other support to portfolio management; (ii) Authorized Participants through NSCC, and (iii) other personnel of the Adviser and the Funds' distributor, administrator, custodian and fund accountant who are involved in functions which may require such information to conduct business in the ordinary course.
From time to time, rating and ranking organizations such as Standard & Poor’s® and Morningstar®, Inc. may request complete portfolio holdings information in connection with rating a Fund. To prevent such parties from potentially misusing the complete portfolio holdings information, a Fund will generally only disclose such information no earlier than one business day following the date of the information. Portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide additional services to the Funds in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC.
In addition, the Funds' Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) may grant exceptions to permit additional disclosure of the complete portfolio holdings information at differing times and with differing lag times to rating agencies and to the parties noted above, provided that (1) a Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so; (2) it is in the best interests of shareholders; (3) the recipient is subject to a confidentiality agreement; and (4) the recipient is subject to a duty not to trade on the nonpublic information. The CCO shall report any disclosures made pursuant to this exception to the Board.
Management of the Trust
The Board of Trustees
The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board”). The Board is responsible for and oversees the overall management and operations of the Trust and the Funds, which includes the general oversight and review of the Funds' investment activities, in accordance with federal law and the law of the State of Delaware, as well as the stated policies of the Funds. The Board oversees the Trust’s officers and service providers, including Rafferty, which is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the Funds based on policies and agreements reviewed and approved by the Board. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Board regularly interacts with and receives reports from senior personnel of service providers, including personnel from Rafferty and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (“USBFS”). The Board also is assisted by the Trust’s independent auditor (who reports directly to the Trust’s Audit Committee), independent counsel and other professionals as appropriate.
Risk Oversight
Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Trust and the Funds, the Board oversees the management of risks relating to the administration and operation of the Trust and the Funds. Rafferty, as part of its responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the Funds, is responsible for day-to-day risk management for the Funds. The Board, in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment performs its risk management oversight directly and, as to certain matters, through its committees (described below) and through the Board members who are not “interested persons” of the Funds as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees.”) The following provides an overview of the principal, but not all, aspects of the Board’s oversight of risk management for the Trust and the Funds.
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The Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures designed to address risks to the Trust and the Funds. In addition, under the general oversight of the Board, Rafferty and other service providers to the Funds have themselves adopted a variety of policies, procedures and controls designed to address particular risks to the Funds. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks.
The Board also oversees risk management for the Trust and the Funds through review of regular reports, presentations and other information from officers of the Trust and other persons. The Trust’s CCO and senior officers of Rafferty regularly report to the Board on a range of matters, including those relating to risk management. The Board also regularly receives reports from Rafferty and USBFS with respect to the Funds' investments. In addition to regular reports from these parties, the Board also receives reports regarding other service providers to the Trust, either directly or through Rafferty, USBFS or the CCO, on a periodic or regular basis. At least annually, the Board receives a report from the CCO regarding the effectiveness of the Funds' compliance program. Also, on an annual basis, the Board receives reports, presentations and other information from Rafferty in connection with the Board’s consideration of the renewal of each of the Trust’s agreements with Rafferty and the Trust’s distribution plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
The CCO reports regularly to the Board on Fund valuation matters. The Audit Committee receives regular reports from the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm on internal control and financial reporting matters. On at least a quarterly basis, the Independent Trustees meet with the CCO to discuss matters relating to the Funds' compliance program.
Board Structure and Related Matters
Independent Trustees constitute two-thirds of the Board. The Trustees discharge their responsibilities collectively as a Board, as well as through Board committees, each of which operates pursuant to a charter approved by the Board that delineates the specific responsibilities of that committee. The Board has established three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. For example, the Audit Committee is responsible for specific matters related to oversight of the Funds' independent auditors, subject to approval of the Audit Committee’s recommendations by the Board. The members and responsibilities of each Board committee are summarized below.
The Board periodically evaluates its structure and composition as well as various aspects of its operations. The Chairman of the Board is not an Independent Trustee and the Board has chosen not to have a lead Independent Trustee. However, the Board believes that its leadership structure, including its Independent Trustees and Board committees, is appropriate for the Trust in light of, among other factors, the asset size and nature of the Funds, the number of series overseen by the Board, the arrangements for the conduct of the Funds' operations, the number of Trustees, and the Board’s responsibilities. On an annual basis, the Board conducts a self-evaluation that considers, among other matters, whether the Board and its committees are functioning effectively and whether, given the size and composition of the Board and each of its committees, the Trustees are able to oversee effectively the number of portfolios in the complex.
The Trust is part of the Direxion Family of Investment Companies, which is comprised of the 142 portfolios within the Trust, 24 portfolios within the Direxion Funds and no portfolios within the Direxion Insurance Trust. The same persons who constitute the Board also constitute the Board of Trustees of the Direxion Funds and the Direxion Insurance Trust.
The Board holds four regularly scheduled in-person meetings each year. The Board may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone, to address matters arising between regular meetings. During a portion of each in-person meeting, the Independent Trustees meet outside of management’s presence. The Independent Trustees may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone.
The Trustees of the Trust are identified in the tables below, which provide information regarding their age, business address and principal occupation during the past five years including any affiliation with Rafferty, the length of service to the Trust, and the position, if any, that they hold on the board of directors of companies other than the Trust as of the date of this SAI. Each of the Trustees of the Trust also serve on the Board of the Direxion Funds and Direxion Insurance Trust, the other registered investment companies in the Direxion mutual fund complex. Unless otherwise noted, an individual’s business address is 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019.
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Interested Trustees
Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held
with Fund
Term of
Office
and Length
of Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other
Trusteeships/
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past Five
Years
Daniel D. O’Neill(1)
Age: 48
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2008
Managing Director of Rafferty, 1999-present. 166 None.
Eric W. Falkeis(2)
Age: 43
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2014
Chief Operating Officer, since April 2014, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC; formerly, President Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, March 2013 – April 2014; formerly, Senior Vice President, USBFS, September 2007 March 2013; Chief Financial Officer, USBFS, April 2006 March 2013; Vice President, USBFS, 1997-2007; formerly, Chief Financial Officer, Quasar Distributors, LLC (2000-2003).
166 Trustee, Professionally Managed Portfolios
(31 Funds).
Independent Trustees
Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held
with Fund
Term of
Office
and Length
of Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other
Trusteeships/
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past Five
Years
Gerald E. Shanley III
Age: 73
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2008
Retired, Since 2002; Business Consultant, 1985-present; Trustee of Trust Under Will of Charles S. Payson, 1987-present; C.P.A., 1979-present.
166 None.
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Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held
with Fund
Term of
Office
and Length
of Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other
Trusteeships/
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past Five
Years
John A. Weisser
Age: 75
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2008
Retired, Since 1995; Salomon Brothers, Inc., 1971-1995, most recently as Managing Director. 166 Director until December 2016: The MainStay Funds Trust, The MainStay Funds, MainStay VP Fund Series, Mainstay Defined Term Municipal Opportunities Fund; Private Advisors Alternative Strategy Fund; Private Advisors Alternative Strategies Master Fund.
David L. Driscoll
Age: 47
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2014
Partner, King Associates, LLP, since 2004; Board Advisor, University Common Real Estate, since 2012; Principal, Grey Oaks LLP since 2003; Member, Kendrick LLC, since 2006.
166 None.
Jacob C. Gaffey
Age: 68
Trustee Lifetime of Trust until removal or resignation;
Since 2014
Managing Director of Loomis & Co. since 2012; Partner, Bay Capital Advisors, LLC
2008 2012.
166 None.
(1) Mr. O’Neill is affiliated with Rafferty. Mr. O’Neill is the Managing Director of Rafferty and owns a beneficial interest in Rafferty.
(2) Mr. Falkeis is affiliated with Rafferty. Mr. Falkeis is the Chief Operating Officer of Rafferty.
(3) The Direxion Family of Investment Companies consists of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 80 of the 142 funds registered with the SEC, the Direxion Funds which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 18 of the 24 funds registered with the SEC and the Direxion Insurance Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, does not have any funds registered with the SEC.
In addition to the information set forth in the tables above and other relevant qualifications, experience, attributes or skills applicable to a particular Trustee, the following provides further information about the qualifications and experience of each Trustee.
Daniel D. O’Neill: Mr. O’Neill has extensive experience in the investment management business, including as managing director of Rafferty. Mr. O’Neill has been the Managing Director of Rafferty since 1999.
Eric W. Falkeis: Mr. Falkeis has extensive experience in the financial services business. He is a certified public accountant. Prior to joining Rafferty in 2013, Mr. Falkeis was Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of USBFS. USBFS provides fund administration, fund accounting and transfer agency services to registered investment companies and non-registered investment companies. Mr. Falkeis is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Rafferty.
Gerald E. Shanley III: Mr. Shanley has extensive audit experience and spent ten years in the tax practice of an international public accounting firm. He is a certified public accountant and has a JD degree. He has extensive business experience as the president of a closely held manufacturing company, a director of several closely held companies, a business and tax
36

 

consultant and a trustee of a private investment trust. He has served on the boards of several charitable and not for profit organizations. He also has multiple years of service as a Trustee.
John A. Weisser: Mr. Weisser has extensive experience in the investment management business, including as managing director of an investment bank and a director of other registered investment companies. He also has multiple years of service as a Trustee.
David L. Driscoll: Mr. Driscoll has extensive experience with risk assessment and strategic planning as a partner and manager of various real estate partnerships and companies.
Jacob C. Gaffey: Mr. Gaffey has extensive experience with providing investment banking and valuation services to various companies. Mr. Gaffey has been a director and a member of an audit committee of a public company since 2011.
Board Committees
The Trust has an Audit Committee, consisting of Messrs. Weisser, Shanley, Driscoll and Gaffey. The members of the Audit Committee are Independent Trustees. The primary responsibilities of the Trust’s Audit Committee are, as set forth in its charter, to make recommendations to the Board Members as to: the engagement or discharge of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm (including the audit fees charged by the auditors); the supervision of investigations into matters relating to audit matters; the review with the independent registered public accounting firm of the results of audits; and addressing any other matters regarding audits. The Audit Committee met twice during the Trust’s most recent fiscal year.
The Trust also has a Nominating and Governance Committee, consisting of Messrs. Weisser, Shanley, Driscoll and Gaffey each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The primary responsibilities of the Nominating and Governance Committee are to make recommendations to the Board on issues related to the composition and operation of the Board, and communicate with management on those issues. The Nominating and Governance Committee also evaluates and nominates Board member candidates. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Such recommendations should be in writing and addressed to a Fund with attention to the Nominating and Governance Committee Chair. The recommendations must include the following Preliminary Information regarding the nominee: (1) name; (2) date of birth; (3) education; (4) business professional or other relevant experience and areas of expertise; (5) current business and home addresses and contact information; (6) other board positions or prior experience; and (7) any knowledge and experience relating to investment companies and investment company governance. The Nominating and Governance Committee met once during the Trust’s most recent fiscal year.
The Trust has a Qualified Legal Compliance Committee, consisting of Messrs. Weisser, Shanley, Driscoll and Gaffey. The members of the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee are Independent Trustees of the Trust. The primary responsibility of the Trust’s Qualified Legal Compliance Committee is to receive, review and take appropriate action with respect to any report (“Report”) made or referred to the Committee by an attorney of evidence of a material violation of applicable U.S. federal or state securities law, material breach of a fiduciary duty under U.S. federal or state law or a similar material violation by the Trust or by any officer, director, employee or agent of the Trust. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee did not meet during the Trust’s most recent fiscal year.
Principal Officers of the Trust
The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. Unless otherwise noted, an individual’s business address is 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019. As of the date of this SAI, the officers of the Trust, their ages, their business address and their principal occupations during the past five years are as follows:
Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held with
Fund
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in the
Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other Trusteeships/
Directorships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years
Daniel D. O’Neill(1)
Age: 48
Chief
Executive
Officer and
Chief
Investment
Officer
One Year;
Since 2008
Managing Director of Rafferty, 1999-present. 166 N/A
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Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held with
Fund
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in the
Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other Trusteeships/
Directorships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years
Eric W. Falkeis(2)
Age: 43
Principal
Executive
Officer
One Year;
Since 2014
Chief Operating Officer, since April 2014, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC; formerly, President, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, March 2013 – April 2014; formerly, Senior Vice President, USBFS, September 2007 March 2013; Chief Financial Officer, USBFS, April 2006 March 2013; Vice President, USBFS, 1997-2007; formerly, Chief Financial Officer, Quasar Distributors, LLC (2000-2003).
166 Trustee,
Professionally
Managed Portfolios
(31 Funds).
Patrick J. Rudnick
Age: 43
Principal
Financial
Officer and
Assistant
Secretary
One Year;
Since 2010
Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, since March 2013; formerly Vice President, USBFS (2006-2013); formerly, Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (1999-2006).
N/A N/A
Angela Brickl
Age: 40
Secretary One Year;
Since 2011
General Counsel, Rafferty Asset Management LLC, since October 2010; formerly Chief Compliance Officer, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (2012-2016).
N/A N/A
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Name, Address
and Age
Position(s)
Held with
Fund
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
# of
Portfolios
in the
Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies
Overseen
by Trustee(3)
Other Trusteeships/
Directorships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years
Kent Barnes
Age: 48
Chief Compliance Officer One Year;
Since 2016
Director of Compliance, since April 2016, Rafferty Asset Management, LLC; formerly General Counsel – Alternative Investments, USBFS
(2006-2016)
N/A N/A
(1) Mr. O’Neill serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Direxion Funds, Direxion Insurance Trust and Direxion Shares ETF Trust.
(2) Mr. Falkeis serves as a Trustee of the Direxion Funds, Direxion Insurance Trust and Direxion Shares ETF Trust.
(3) The Direxion Family of Investment Companies consists of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 80 of the 142 funds registered with the SEC, the Direxion Funds which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 18 of the 24 funds registered with the SEC and the Direxion Insurance Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, does not have any funds registered with the SEC.
Because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, no Trustee owned Shares of the Funds as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2016.
The following table shows the amount of equity securities owned in the Direxion Family of Investment Companies by the Trustees as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2016:
Dollar Range of Equity Securities Owned: Interested Trustees: Independent Trustees:
  Daniel D.
O’Neill
Eric W.
Falkeis
Gerald E.
Shanley III
John
Weisser
David L.
Driscoll
Jacob C.
Gaffey
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Direxion Family of Investment Companies(1) Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
$0 $1-$10,000 $0 $0
(1) The Direxion Family of Investment Companies consists of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 80 of the 142 funds registered with the SEC, the Direxion Funds which, as of the date of this SAI, offers for sale to the public 18 of the 24 funds registered with the SEC and the Direxion Insurance Trust which, as of the date of this SAI, does not have any funds registered with the SEC.
The Trust’s Trust Instrument provides that the Trustees will not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. However, they are not protected against any liability to which they would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of their office.
No officer, director or employee of Rafferty receives any compensation from the Funds for acting as a Trustee or officer of the Trust. The following table shows the compensation earned by each Trustee for the Trust’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2016:
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Name of Person,
Position
Aggregate
Compensation
From the
Trust(1)
Pension or
Retirement Benefits
Accrued As Part of
the Trust’s
Expenses
Estimated
Annual Benefits
Upon Retirement
Aggregate
Compensation
From the Direxion
Family of
Investment
Companies Paid
to the Trustees(2)
Interested Trustees
Daniel D. O’Neill $0 $0 $0 $0
Eric W. Falkeis $0 $0 $0 $0
Independent Trustees
Gerald E. Shanley III $75,000 $0 $0 $100,000
John A. Weisser $75,000 $0 $0 $100,000
David L. Driscoll $60,000 $0 $0 $80,000
Jacob C. Gaffey $60,000 $0 $0 $80,000
(1)
Costs associated with Trustee compensation are allocated across the operational funds based on the net assets of each fund in the Trust.
(2)
For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, Trustees’ fees and expenses in the amount of $270,000 were incurred by the Trust.
Principal Shareholders, Control Persons and Management Ownership
A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a Fund. A control person is a shareholder that owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of a Fund.
Because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, the Funds did not have control persons or principal shareholders and the Trustees and Officers did not own shares of the Funds.
Investment Adviser
Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019, provides investment advice to the Funds. Rafferty was organized as a New York limited liability company in June 1997.
Under an Investment Advisory Agreement (“Advisory Agreement”) between the Trust, on behalf of each Fund, and Rafferty dated August 13, 2008, Rafferty provides a continuous investment program for each Fund’s assets in accordance with its investment objectives, policies and limitations, and oversees the day-to-day operations of each Fund, subject to the supervision of the Trustees. Rafferty bears all costs associated with providing these advisory services and the expenses of the Trustees who are affiliated with or interested persons of Rafferty. The Trust bears all other expenses that are not assumed by Rafferty as described in the Prospectus. The Trust also is liable for nonrecurring expenses as may arise, including litigation to which a Fund may be a party. The Trust also may have an obligation to indemnify its Trustees and officers with respect to any such litigation.
The Advisory Agreement was initially approved by the Trustees (including all Independent Trustees) and Rafferty, as sole shareholder of each Fund in compliance with the 1940 Act. The Advisory Agreement with respect to the Funds will continue in force for an initial period of two years after the date of its approval. The Advisory Agreement is renewable thereafter from year to year with respect to each Fund, so long as its continuance is approved at least annually (1) by the vote, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose, of a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Trust; and (2) by the majority vote of either the full Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of a Fund. The Advisory Agreement automatically terminates on assignment and is terminable on a 60-day written notice either by the Trust or Rafferty.
Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, each Fund pays Rafferty a fee at an annualized rate based on a percentage of its average daily net assets of 0.75%.
No advisory fees are provided for the Funds because they had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
Pursuant to a separate Management Services Agreement, Rafferty performs certain administrative services on behalf of the Funds, such as negotiating, coordinating and implementing the Trust’s contractual obligations with the Funds' service providers; monitoring, overseeing and reviewing the performance of such service providers to ensure adherence to applicable contractual obligations; and preparing or coordinating reports and presentations to the Board of Trustees with respect to such service providers as requested or as deemed necessary; and other services that are described in the Management Services Agreement. For these services, the Trust pays to Rafferty a fee at the annual rate of 0.02% of average daily net assets for each of the Funds. This Management Services Fee may be waived under the Operating Expense Limitation Agreement that Rafferty has entered into with each Fund. This arrangement may be terminated at any time by the approval of the Board.
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Each Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses. Rafferty has entered into an Operating Expense Limitation Agreement with each Fund. Under this Operating Expense Limitation Agreement, Rafferty has contractually agreed to cap all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse each Fund for Other Expenses (excluding, as applicable, among other expenses, taxes, swap financing and related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividends or interest on short positions, other interest expenses, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses) through September 1, 2018 to the extent that each Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.95% of each Fund’s daily net assets. Any expense cap is subject to reimbursement by a Fund only within the following three years only if overall expenses fall below these percentage limitations. This agreement may be terminated at any time at the discretion of the Board upon notice to the Adviser and without the approval of Fund shareholders. The agreement may be terminated by the Adviser only with the consent of the Board.
Rafferty shall not be liable to the Trust or any shareholder for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its agreement with the Trust or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security.
Pursuant to Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act and Rule 17j-1 thereunder, the Trust, Rafferty and the Funds' distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics. These codes permit portfolio managers and other access persons of a Fund to invest in securities that may be owned by a Fund, subject to certain restrictions.
Portfolio Managers
Paul Brigandi and Tony Ng are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds. An investment trading team of Rafferty employees assists Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng in the day-to-day management of the Funds subject to their primary responsibility and oversight. The Portfolio Managers work with the investment trading team to decide the target allocation of each Fund’s investments and on a day-to-day basis, an individual portfolio trader executes transactions for the Funds consistent with the target allocation. The members of the investment trading team rotate among the various series of the Trust, including the Funds, periodically so that no single individual is assigned to a specific Fund for extended periods of time.
In addition to the Funds, Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng manage the following other accounts as of March 31, 2017:
Accounts Total Number
of Accounts
Total Assets
(In Billions)
Total Number of
Accounts with
Performance
Based Fees
Total Assets
of Accounts
with Performance
Based Fees
Registered Investment Companies 106 $12.4 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0 $ 0 0 $0
Other Accounts 0 $ 0 0 $0
Rafferty manages no other accounts with investment objectives similar to those of the Funds. In addition, two or more funds advised by Rafferty may invest in the same securities but the nature of each investment (long or short) may be opposite and in different proportions. Rafferty ordinarily executes transactions for a Fund “market-on-close,” in which funds purchasing or selling the same security receive the same closing price.
Rafferty has not identified any additional material conflicts between a Fund and other accounts managed by the investment team. However, other actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise in connection with the day-to-day management of a Fund and other accounts. The management of a Fund and other accounts may result in unequal time and attention being devoted to a Fund and other accounts. Rafferty’s management fees for the services it provides to other accounts varies and may be higher or lower than the advisory fees it receives from a Fund. This could create potential conflicts of interest in which the portfolio manager may appear to favor one investment vehicle over another resulting in an account paying higher fees or one investment vehicle out performing another.
The investment team’s compensation is paid by Rafferty. Their compensation primarily consists of a fixed base salary and a bonus. The investment team’s salary is reviewed annually and increases are determined by factors such as performance and seniority. Bonuses are determined by the individual performance of an employee including factors such as attention to detail, process, and efficiency, and are impacted by the overall performance of the firm. The investment team’s salary and bonus are not based on a Fund’s performance and as a result, no benchmarks are used. Along with all other employees of Rafferty, the investment team may participate in the firm’s 401(k) retirement plan where Rafferty may make matching contributions up to a defined percentage of their salary.
Mr. Brigandi and Mr. Ng did not own any shares of the Funds as of March 31, 2017.
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Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
The Board has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures (“Proxy Policies”) wherein the Trust has delegated to Rafferty the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by a Fund as part of their investment advisory services, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Board. The Proxy Voting Policies of Rafferty are attached as Appendix B. Notwithstanding this delegation of responsibilities, however, each Fund retains the right to vote proxies relating to its portfolio securities. The fundamental purpose of the Proxy Policies is to ensure that each vote will be in a manner that reflects the best interest of a Fund and its shareholders, taking into account the value of a Fund’s investments.
More Information. The actual voting records relating to portfolio securities for future 12-month periods ending June 30 will be available without charge, upon request by calling toll-free, 866-476-7523 or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Fund Administrator, Fund Accounting Agent, Transfer Agent and Custodian
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as the Funds' administrator. The Bank of New York Mellon, 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286, serves as the Funds' transfer agent, and custodian. Rafferty also performs certain administrative services for the Funds.
Pursuant to a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Trust and USBFS, USBFS provides the Trust with administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services). As compensation for these services, the Trust pays USBFS a fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets. USBFS also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
Pursuant to a Fund Accounting Agreement between the Trust and BNYM, BNYM provides the Trust with accounting services, including portfolio accounting services, tax accounting services and furnishing financial reports. As compensation for these accounting services, the Trust pays BNYM a fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets and a minimum annual per fund fee, subject to certain negotiated fee waivers. BNYM also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above, including pricing expenses.
Pursuant to a Custody Agreement, BNYM serves as the custodian of a Fund’s assets. The custodian holds and administers the assets in a Fund’s portfolios. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the custodian receives an annual fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets and certain settlement charges. The custodian also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
Pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Trust and BNYM, BNYM provides the Trust with transfer agency services, which includes Creation and Redemption Unit order processing. As compensation for these transfer agency services, the Trust pays BNYM a fee based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets and a minimum annual complex fee. BNYM also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above.
No administrative and accounting services fees, custodian fees or transfer agent fees are shown for the Funds because they had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
Distributor
Foreside Fund Services, LLC, located at 3 Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, serves as the distributor (“Distributor”) in connection with the continuous offering of each Fund’s shares. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The Trust offers Shares of the Funds for sale through the Distributor in Creation Units, as described below. The Distributor will not sell or redeem Shares in quantities less than Creation Units. The Distributor will deliver a Prospectus to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of Creation Unit orders placed and confirmations furnished by it. Pursuant to a written agreement, the Adviser pays the Distributor for distribution-related services. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, the Distributor received $877,930 as compensation from Rafferty for distribution services for each series of the Trust. The Funds were not operational as of October 31, 2016, therefore Rafferty did not pay fees for distribution services for the Funds.
The Adviser may pay certain broker-dealers, banks and other financial intermediaries for participating in activities that are designed to make registered representatives and other professionals more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including each Fund, or for other activities such as participating in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems. The Adviser had arrangements to make payments based on an annual fee for its services, as well as based on the average daily assets held by Schwab customers in certain funds managed by the Adviser, for services other than for the educational programs and marketing activities described above, only to Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”). Pursuant to the arrangement with Schwab, Schwab has agreed to promote select funds managed by the Adviser, to Schwab’s customers and not to charge certain of its customers any commissions when those customers purchase or sell shares of those funds. Payments to a broker-dealer or intermediary may create potential conflicts of interest between the broker-dealer or intermediary and its clients. These amounts, which may be significant, are paid by the Adviser from its own resources and not from the assets of funds managed by the Adviser.
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Although a portion of the Adviser’s revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by each Fund, other ETFs advised by the Adviser or other exchange-traded products, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, a Fund or other funds managed by the Adviser.
Distribution Plan
Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, as amended, (the “Rule”) provides that an investment company may bear expenses of distributing its shares only pursuant to a plan adopted in accordance with the Rule. The Trustees have adopted a Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan (“Rule 12b-1 Plan”) pursuant to which each Fund may pay certain expenses incurred in the distribution of its shares and the servicing and maintenance of existing shareholder accounts. The Distributor, as the Funds' principal underwriter, and Rafferty may have a direct or indirect financial interest in the Rule 12b-1 Plan or any related agreement. Pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 Plan, each Fund may pay a fee of up to 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. No Rule 12b-1 fee is currently being charged to the Funds.
The Rule 12b-1 Plan was approved by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Funds. In approving the Rule 12b-1 Plan, the Trustees determined that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Rule 12b-1 Plan will benefit each Fund and its shareholders. The Trustees will review quarterly and annually a written report provided by the Treasurer of the amounts expended under the Rule 12b-1 Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made.
The Rule 12b-1 Plan permits payments to be made by each Fund to the Distributor or other third parties for expenditures incurred in connection with the distribution of Fund shares to investors and the provision of certain shareholder services. The Distributor or other third parties are authorized to engage in advertising, the preparation and distribution of sales literature and other promotional activities on behalf of each Fund. In addition, the Rule 12b-1 Plan authorizes payments by each Fund to the Distributor or other third parties for the cost related to selling or servicing efforts, preparing, printing and distributing Fund prospectuses, statements of additional information, and shareholder reports to investors.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Ernst & Young LLP (“EY”), 220 South Sixth Street, Suite 1400, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, is the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust.
Legal Counsel
The Trust has selected K&L Gates LLP, 1601 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006, as its legal counsel.
Determination of Net Asset Value
A fund’s share price is known as its NAV. Each Fund’s share price (other than the Fixed Income Funds) is calculated as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“Valuation Time”), each day the NYSE is open for business (“Business Day”). The NYSE is open for business Monday through Friday, except in observation of the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. In addition to these holidays, the Bond Market is not open on Columbus Day and Veterans’ Day. The NYSE may close early on the business day before each of these holidays and on the day after Thanksgiving Day. NYSE holiday schedules are subject to change without notice.
Each Fixed Income Fund also calculates its NAV as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time each Business Day. However, on days that the bond markets close all day, which currently includes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day (a “Bond Market Holiday”), the Fixed Income Funds do not calculate their NAVs, even if the NYSE is open for business. On such days, orders for purchase or redemption will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday. Similarly, on days that the bond markets close early but the NYSE does not (usually at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, and which currently include the Friday before Memorial Day and New Year’s Eve), the Fixed Income Funds treat the portion of the day that the bond markets are closed as a Bond Market Holiday and calculates their NAVs as of the recommended closing time for the bond markets, which may be before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, subject to the discretion of the Adviser. In such instances, orders for purchase or redemption that are received prior to the close of bond markets will receive the NAV calculated at the time of the bond markets closure, whereas orders for purchase or redemption that are received thereafter will receive the NAV next calculated on the following Business Day that is not a Bond Market Holiday.
If the exchange or market on which a Fund’s investments are primarily traded closes early, the NAV may be calculated prior to its normal calculation time. Creation/redemption transaction order time cutoffs would also be accelerated. The value
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of a Fund’s assets that trade in markets outside the United States or in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar may fluctuate when foreign markets are open but a Fund is not open for business.
A security listed or traded on an exchange, domestic or foreign, is valued at its last sales price on the principal exchange on which it is traded prior to the time when assets are valued. If no sale is reported at that time, the mean of the last bid and asked prices is used. Securities primarily traded on the NASDAQ Global Market® (“NASDAQ®”) for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ® Official Closing Price (“NOCP”) provided by NASDAQ® each Business Day. The NOCP is the most recently reported price as of 4:00:02 p.m. Eastern Time, unless that price is outside the range of the “inside” bid and asked prices’ in that case, NASDAQ® will adjust the price to equal the inside bid or asked price, whichever is closer. If the NOCP is not available, such securities shall be valued at the last sale price on the day of valuation, or if there has been no sale on such day, at the mean between the bid and asked prices.
When market quotations for options and futures positions held by a Fund are readily available, those positions will be valued based upon such quotations. Securities and other assets for which market quotations are not readily available, or for which Rafferty has reason to question the validity of quotations received, are valued at fair value by procedures as adopted by the Board.
For purposes of determining NAV per share of a Fund, options and futures contracts are valued at the last sales price of the exchange on which they trade. The value of a futures contract equals the unrealized gain or loss on the contract that is determined by marking the contract to the last sale price for a like contract acquired on the day on which the futures contract is being valued. The value of options on futures contracts is determined based upon the last sale price for a like option acquired on the day on which the option is being valued. A last sale price may not be used for the foregoing purposes if the market makes a limited move with respect to a particular instrument.
For valuation purposes, quotations of foreign securities or other assets denominated in foreign currencies are translated to U.S. Dollar equivalents using the net foreign exchange rate in effect at the close of the stock exchange in the country where the security is issued. Short-term debt instruments having a maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value. If the Board determines that the amortized cost method does not represent the fair value of the short-term debt instrument, the investment will be valued at fair value as determined by procedures as adopted by the Board. U.S. government securities are valued at the mean between the closing bid and asked price provided by an independent third party pricing service (“Pricing Service”).
OTC securities held by a Fund will be valued at the last sales price or, if no sales price is reported, the mean of the last bid and asked price is used. The portfolio securities of a Fund that are listed on national exchanges are valued at the last sales price of such securities; if no sales price is reported, the mean of the last bid and asked price is used.
Swaps are valued based upon prices from third party vendor models or quotations from market makers to the extent available.
Dividend income and other distributions are recorded on the ex-distribution date.
Illiquid securities, securities for which reliable quotations or pricing services are not readily available, all other assets not valued in accordance with the foregoing principles or for which pricing information is deemed unreliable, or to the Adviser’s knowledge, does not reflect a significant event occurring in the market, the security or asset will be valued at their respective fair value as determined in good faith by, or under procedures established by, the Trustees, which procedures may include the delegation of certain responsibilities regarding valuation to Rafferty or the officers of the Trust. The officers of the Trust report, as necessary, to the Trustees regarding portfolio valuation determinations. The Trustees, from time to time, will review these methods of valuation and will recommend changes that may be necessary to assure that the investments of a Fund are valued at fair value.
Additional Information Concerning Shares
Organization and Description of Shares of Beneficial Interest
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust and registered investment company. The Trust was organized on April 23, 2008, and has authorized capital of unlimited Shares of beneficial interest of no par value which may be issued in more than one class or series. Currently, the Trust consists of multiple separately managed series. The Board may designate additional series of beneficial interest and classify Shares of a particular series into one or more classes of that series.
All Shares of the Trust are freely transferable. The Shares do not have preemptive rights or cumulative voting rights, and none of the Shares have any preference to conversion, exchange, dividends, retirements, liquidation, redemption, or any other feature. Shares have equal voting rights, except that, in a matter affecting a particular series or class of Shares, only Shares of that series of class may be entitled to vote on the matter. Trust shareholders are entitled to require the Trust to redeem Creation Units of their Shares. The Trust Instrument confers upon the Broad of Trustees the power, by resolution, to alter the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that Shares of the Trust may be individually redeemable. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the stock prices of Shares of the Trust to maintain convenient trading ranges for
44

 

investors. Any such adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits which would have no effect on the net assets of the applicable Fund.
Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual shareholders meeting if the 1940 Act does not require such a meeting. Generally, there will not be annual meetings of Trust shareholders. Trust shareholders may remove Trustees from office by votes cast at a meeting of Trust shareholders or by written consent. If requested by shareholders of at least 10% of the outstanding Shares of the Trust, the Trust will call a meeting of a Fund’s shareholders for the purpose of voting upon the question of removal of a Trustee of the Trust and will assist in communications with other Trust shareholders.
The Trust Instrument disclaims liability of the shareholders of the officers of the Trust for acts or obligations of the Trust which are binding only on the assets and property of the Trust. The Trust Instrument provides for indemnification from the Trust’s property for all loss and expense of any Fund shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. The risk of a Trust shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Funds would not be able to meet the Trust’s obligations and this risk, thus, should be considered remote.
If a Fund does not grow to a size to permit it to be economically viable, the Fund may cease operations. In such an event, investors may be required to liquidate or transfer their investments at an inopportune time.
Book Entry Only System
The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depositary for the Shares. Shares of each Fund are represented by global securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except as provided below, certificates will not be issued for Shares.
DTC has advised the Trust as follows: it is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC was created to hold securities of its participants (“DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE, the AMEX and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (“Indirect Participants”). DTC agrees with and represents to DTC Participants that it will administer its book-entry system in accordance with its rules and by-laws and requirements of law. Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of Shares. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in Shares.
Beneficial owners of Shares are not entitled to have Shares registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificates in definitive form and are not considered the registered holder thereof. Accordingly, each Beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC, the DTC Participant and any Indirect Participant through which such Beneficial owner holds its interests, to exercise any rights of a holder of Shares. The Trust understands that under existing industry practice, in the event the Trust requests any action of holders of Shares, or a Beneficial owner desires to take any action that DTC, as the record owner of all outstanding Shares, is entitled to take, DTC would authorize the DTC Participants to take such action and that the DTC Participants would authorize the Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners acting through such DTC Participants to take such action and would otherwise act upon the instructions of Beneficial owners owning through them. As described above, the Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the owner of all Shares for all purposes. Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of Share holdings of each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Distributions of Shares shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments
45

 

by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants. The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspects of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to Shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of Shares, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange. The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds but certain brokers may make a dividend reinvestment service available to their clients. Brokers offering such services may require investors to adhere to specific procedures and timetables in order to participate. Investors interested in such a service should contact their broker for availability and other necessary details.
Purchases and Redemptions
The Trust issues and redeems Shares of each Fund only in aggregations of Creation Units. The number of Shares of a Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for each Fund and the value of such Creation Unit as of each Fund’s inception were 50,000 and $1,250,000, respectively.
See “Purchase and Issuance of Shares in Creation Units” and “Redemption of Creation Units” below. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of Shares outstanding of any Fund, and may make a corresponding change in the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per Shares price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board for any other reason.
Purchase and Issuance of Creation Units
The Trust issues and sells Shares only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at their NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined above), of an order in proper form.
Creation Units of Shares may be purchased only by or through an Authorized Participant. Such Authorized Participant will agree pursuant to the terms of such Authorized Participant Agreement on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, as the case may be, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Balancing Amount and the transaction fee described below. The Authorized Participant may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Balancing Amount. Investors who are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement, and that therefore orders to purchase Creation Units of Shares may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor.
Creation Units also will be sold only for cash (“Cash Purchase Amount”) for the Bear Funds. Creation Units are sold at their NAV, plus a transaction fee, as described below.
Purchases through the Clearing Process (Bull Funds)
An Authorized Participant may place an order to purchase (or redeem) Creation Units (i) through the Continuous Net Settlement clearing processes of NSCC as such processes have been enhanced to effect purchases (and redemptions) of Creation Units, such processes being referred to herein as the “Enhanced Clearing Process,” or (ii) outside the Enhanced Clearing Process, being referred to herein as the Manual Clearing Process. To purchase or redeem through the Enhanced Clearing Process, an Authorized Participant must be a member of National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) that is eligible to use the Continuous Net Settlement system. For purchase orders placed through the Enhanced Clearing Process, in the Authorized Participant Agreement the Participant authorizes the Transfer Agent to transmit to the NSCC, on behalf of an Authorized Participant, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Authorized Participant’s purchase order. Pursuant to such trade instructions to the NSCC, the Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the Portfolio Deposit and such additional information as may be required by the Transfer Agent or the Distributor. A purchase order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent’s automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Authorized Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day's NAV per
46

 

Share. All other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day.
The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of Shares of a Bull Fund consists of either cash or the Deposit Securities that is a representative sample of the securities in a Fund's underlying index, the Balancing Amount, and the appropriate Transaction Fee (collectively, the “Portfolio Deposit”). The Balancing Amount will be the amount equal to the differential, if any, between the total aggregate market value of the Deposit Securities and the NAV of the Creation Unit(s) being purchased and will be paid to, or received from, the Trust after the NAV has been calculated.
BNYM makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day, either immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange or the night before, the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for each Bull Fund. Such Portfolio Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of Shares of a Bull Fund until such time as the next-announced Portfolio Deposit made available.
The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for each Bull Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by Rafferty with a view to the investment objective of the Bull Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the securities constituting the relevant securities index. In addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Balancing Amount to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or for other similar reasons. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to Rafferty on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Portfolio Deposit, in the composition of the subject index being tracked by a Bull Fund, or resulting from stock splits and other corporate actions.
In addition to the list of names and numbers of securities constituting the current Deposit Securities of a Portfolio Deposit, on each Business Day, the Balancing Amount effective through and including the previous Business Day, per outstanding Share of each Bull Fund, will be made available.
Shares may be issued in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a greater value than the NAV of the Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to the available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Balancing Amount, plus (ii) 115% of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”). An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Trust, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to 115% of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Participation Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian Bank or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a transaction fee, as listed below, will be charged in all cases. The delivery of Shares so purchased will occur no later than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of Shares may take longer than three Business Days following the day on which the purchase order is received. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of local holiday periods. A list of local holidays in the foreign countries or markets relevant to the international funds is set forth under “Regular Foreign Holidays” below.
All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.
Purchases through the Manual Clearing Process
An Authorized Participant that wishes to place an order to purchase Creation Units outside the Enhanced Clearing Process must state that it is not using the Enhanced Clearing Process and that the purchase instead will be effected through a transfer of securities and cash either through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities) or directly through DTC. All Creation Unit purchases of the Bear Funds will be settled outside the Enhanced Clearing Process for cash equal to the Creation Unit’s NAV (“Cash Purchase Amount”). Purchases (and redemptions) of Creation Units of the Bull Funds settled outside the Enhanced Clearing Process will be subject to a higher Transaction Fee than those settled through the Enhanced Clearing Process. Purchase orders effected outside the Enhanced Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the Authorized Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the Enhanced Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the Enhanced Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities) by contacting the operations department of the broker
47

 

or depository institution effectuating such transfer of the Portfolio Deposit (for the Bull Funds), or of the Cash Purchase Amount (for the Bear Funds).
Rejection of Purchase Orders
The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject a purchase order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of any Fund if (a) the purchaser or group of purchasers, upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of any Fund; (b) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as specified by Rafferty and Rafferty has not consented to acceptance of an in-kind deposit that varies from the designated Deposit Securities; (c) acceptance of the purchase transaction order would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (d) the acceptance of the purchase transaction order would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (e) the acceptance of the purchase transaction order would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or Rafferty, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; (f) the value of a Cash Purchase Amount, or the value of the Balancing Amount to accompany an in-kind deposit exceed a purchase authorization limit extended to an Authorized Participant by the custodian and the Authorized Participant has not deposited an amount in excess of such purchase authorization with the custodian by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the Transmittal Date; or (g) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and Rafferty make it impractical to process purchase orders. The Trust shall notify a prospective purchaser of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of purchase transaction orders nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
Redemption of Creation Units
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor on any Business Day. The Trust will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Beneficial owners also may sell Shares in the secondary market, but must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit of Shares. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
Placement of Redemption Orders Using Enhanced Clearing Process (Bull Funds)
Orders to redeem Creation Units of the Funds through the Enhanced Clearing Process must be delivered through an Authorized Participant that is a member of NSCC that is eligible to use the Continuous Net Settlement System. A redemption order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent's automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Authorized Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day’s NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day.
With respect to each Bull Fund, Rafferty makes available through the NSCC immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange on each day that the Exchange is open for business the Portfolio Securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Redemption Securities”). These securities may, at times, not be identical to Deposit Securities which are applicable to a purchase of Creation Units.
The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit consist of either cash or Redemption Securities, as announced by Rafferty through the NSCC on any Business Day, plus the Balancing Amount. The redemption transaction fee described below is deducted from such redemption proceeds.
Placement of Redemption Orders Outside Clearing Process (Bull Funds and Bear Funds)
Orders to redeem Creation Units of the Funds outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Authorized Participant Agreement and, for the Fixed Income Funds, has the ability to transact through the Federal Reserve System. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order for redemption of Creation Units of a Fund to be effected outside the Clearing Process need not be an Authorized Participant, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption of Creation Units will instead be effected through transfer of Shares directly through DTC or the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities). A redemption order must be received in good order by the transfer agent by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, whether transmitted by mail, through the transfer agent's automated system, telephone, facsimile or other means permitted under the Authorized Participant Agreement, in order to receive that day's NAV per Share. All other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement must be followed in order for you to receive the NAV determined on that day. The order must be accompanied or preceded by the requisite number of Shares of the Funds specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC or the Federal Reserve System to the Custodian by the third Business Day following such Transmittal Date (“DTC Cut-Off Time”); and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement must be properly followed.
For the Bull Funds, if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Redemption Securities, the Fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds
48

 

in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash which the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities which differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in NAV.
After the Transfer Agent has deemed an order for redemption of a Bull Fund’s shares outside the Clearing Process received, the Transfer Agent will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Redemption Securities, which are expected to be delivered within three Business Days, and the Balancing Amount minus the Transaction Fee. In addition, with respect to Bull Fund redemptions honored in cash, the redeeming party will receive the Cash Redemption Amount by the third Business Day following the Transmittal Date on which such redemption order is deemed received by the Transfer Agent. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the receipt of the Cash Redemption Amount may take longer than three Business Days following the Transmittal Date. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of local holiday periods. See below for a list of local holidays in the foreign country relevant to the international funds.
The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit of a Bear Fund will consist solely of cash in an amount equal to the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, less the redemption transaction fee described below (“Cash Redemption Amount”).
In certain instances, Authorized Participants may create and redeem Creation Unit aggregations of the same Fund on the same trade date. In this instance, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to any Fund (1) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund’s portfolio securities or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Regular Foreign Holidays
Each Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis of “T” plus three Business Days (i.e., days on which the national securities exchange is open). A Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis other than T plus three in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within three Business Days of receipt of an order in good form is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within normal settlement periods. The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring portfolio securities to redeeming Authorized Participants, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days for the international funds, in certain circumstances. The applicable holidays for certain foreign markets are listed in the table below. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.
The dates from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 in which the regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets of the below listed countries are as follows:
49

 

Australia   Austria   Belgium   Brazil   Canada   Chile   China
January 2
January 26
April 14
April 17
April 25
June 12
December 25
December 26
  January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
June 5
June 15
August 15
October 26
November 1
December 8
December 25
December 26
  April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
May 26
June 5
July 21
August 15
November 1
December 25
December 26
  January 25
February 27
February 28
March 1
April 14
April 21
May 1
June 15
September 7
October 12
November 2
November 15
November 20
December 25
December 29
  January 2
February 20
April 14
May 22
July 3
August 7
September 4
October 9
November 13
December 25
December 26
  January 2
April 14
May 1
June 26
August 15
September 18
September 19
October 9
October 27
November 1
December 8
December 25
  January 2
January 16
January 27
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
February 20
April 3
April 4
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 3
May 29
May 30
July 4
September 4
October 2
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
October 9
November 23
December 25
December 26
    
Colombia   Czech Republic   Denmark   Egypt   Finland   France   Germany
January 9
March 20
April 13
April 14
May 1
May 29
June 19
June 26
July 3
July 20
August 7
August 21
October 16
November 6
November 13
December 8
December 25
  April 14
April 17
May 1
May 8
July 5
July 6
September 28
November 17
December 25
December 26
  April 13
April 14
April 17
May 12
May 25
May 26
June 5
December 25
December 26
  January 1
January 25
April 16
April 17
April 25
May 1
June 25
June 26
July 23
August 31
September 21
November 30
  January 6
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
June 23
December 6
December 25
December 26
  April 14
April 17
May 1
May 8
May 25
June 5
July 14
August 15
November 1
December 25
December 26
  January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 25
June 5
June 15
October 3
October 31
December 25
December 26
    
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Greece   Hong Kong   Hungary   India   Indonesia   Ireland   Israel
January 6
February 27
April 14
April 17
May 1
June 5
August 15
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 27
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
April 3
April 4
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 2
May 3
May 29
May 30
October 2
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
December 22
December 25
December 26
  March 15
April 17
May 1
June 5
October 23
December 25
December 26
  January 26
February 24
March 13
March 28
April 4
April 14
May 1
May 10
June 26
August 15
August 17
August 25
October 2
October 19
October 20
December 1
December 25
  January 2
March 28
April 14
April 24
May 1
May 11
May 25
June 1
June 26
June 27
June 28
June 29
June 30
August 17
September 1
September 21
December 1
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 16
February 20
March 17
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 29
June 5
July 4
August 7
August 28
September 4
October 9
October 30
November 23
December 22
December 25
December 26
December 29
  March 12
April 10
April 11
April 12
April 13
April 16
April 17
May 1
May 2
May 30
May 31
August 1
September 20
September 21
September 22
September 29
October 4
October 5
October 8
October 9
October 10
October 11
October 12
    
Italy   Japan   Korea   Malaysia   Mexico   Morocco   The Netherlands
January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
June 2
August 15
December 8
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 3
January 9
March 20
May 3
May 4
May 5
July 17
August 11
September 18
October 9
November 3
November 23
  January 27
January 30
March 1
May 1
May 3
May 5
June 6
August 15
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
October 9
December 20
December 25
December 29
  January 2
January 27
January 30
February 1
February 9
May 1
May 10
June 12
June 26
June 27
August 31
September 1
September 21
October 18
December 1
December 25
  February 6
March 20
April 13
April 14
May 1
November 2
November 20
December 12
December 25
  January 11
May 1
June 26
August 14
August 21
September 1
September 22
November 6
  April 14
April 17
April 27
May 1
May 25
June 5
December 25
December 26
    
New Zealand   Norway   Peru   The Philippines   Poland   Portugal   Russia
January 2
January 3
January 23
January 30
February 6
April 14
April 17
April 25
June 5
October 23
October 25
October 26
  April 12
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 17
May 25
June 5
December 25
December 26
  April 13
April 14
May 1
June 29
July 28
August 30
November 1
December 8
December 25
  January 2
April 13
April 14
May 1
June 12
August 21
August 28
October 31
November 1
November 30
December 25
  January 6
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 3
June 15
August 15
November 1
December 25
December 26
December 29
  April 14
April 17
April 25
May 1
June 13
June 15
August 15
October 5
November 1
December 1
December 8
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 3
January 4
January 5
January 6
February 23
February 24
March 8
May 1
May 8
May 9
June 12
November 6
    
51

 

Singapore   South Africa   Spain   Sweden   Switzerland   Taiwan   Thailand
January 2
January 30
April 14
May 1
May 10
June 26
August 9
September 1
October 18
December 25
  January 2
March 21
April 14
April 17
April 27
May 1
June 16
August 9
September 25
December 25
December 26
  January 6
March 20
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
July 25
August 15
October 12
November 1
November 9
December 6
December 8
December 25
December 26
  January 5
January 6
April 13
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 24
May 25
June 6
June 23
November 3
December 25
December 26
  January 2
April 14
April 17
April 24
May 1
May 25
June 5
August 1
September 11
December 25
December 26
  January 2
January 25
January 26
January 27
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 27
February 28
April 3
April 4
May 1
May 29
May 30
October 4
October 9
October 10
  January 2
January 3
February 13
April 6
April 13
April 14
May 1
May 5
May 10
July 10
August 14
October 23
December 5
December 11
    
Turkey   United Kingdom
May 1
May 19
June 26
June 27
August 30
August 31
September 1
September 4
  January 2
January 16
February 20
April 14
April 17
May 1
May 29
July 4
August 28
September 4
October 9
November 23
December 22
December 25
December 26
December 29
Redemption
The longest redemption cycle for the international funds is a function of the longest redemption cycles among the countries whose stocks are held by a fund.
Transaction Fees
Transaction fees are imposed as set forth in the table in the Prospectus. Transaction Fees payable to the Trust are imposed to compensate the Trust for the transfer and other transaction costs of a Fund associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units of Shares. There is a fixed and a variable component to the total Transaction Fee. A fixed Transaction Fee is applicable to each creation or redemption transaction, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased or redeemed. In addition, a variable Transaction Fee based upon the value of each Creation Unit also is applicable to each redemption transaction. The Transaction Fee applicable to the redemption of Creation Units will not exceed 2% of the value of the redemption proceeds.
Purchasers of Creation Units of the Bull Funds for cash are required to pay an additional charge to compensate the relevant Fund for brokerage and market impact expenses relating to investing in portfolios securities. Where the Trust permits an in-kind purchaser to substitute cash in lieu of depositing a portion of the Deposit Securities, the purchaser will be assessed an additional charge for cash purchases.
Purchasers of Shares in Creation Units are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust. The purchase transaction fees for in-kind purchases and cash purchases (when available) are listed in the table below. Investors will also bear the costs of transferring securities from the Fund to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. In addition, Rafferty may, from time to time, at its own expense, compensate purchasers of Creation Units who have purchased substantial amounts of Creation Units and other financial institutions for administrative or marketing services.
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Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units of Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of Shares are issued and sold by the Trust on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act. For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares, and sells some or all of the Shares comprising such Creation Units directly to its customers; or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether a person is an underwriter for the purposes of the Securities Act depends upon all the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities. Thus, the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter. Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary market transaction), and thus dealing with Shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by section 4(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to Shares are reminded that under Securities Act Rule 153 a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to a national securities exchange member in connection with a sale on the national securities exchange is satisfied by the fact that the Fund’s prospectus is available at the national securities exchange on which the Shares of such Fund trade upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange and not with respect to “upstairs” transactions.
Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes
Dividends and other Distributions
As stated in the Prospectus, each Fund declares and distributes dividends to its shareholders from its net investment income at least annually; for these purposes, net investment income includes dividends, accrued interest, and accretion of OID and market discount, less amortization of market premium and estimated expenses, and is calculated immediately prior to the determination of a Fund’s NAV per share. Each Fund also distributes the excess of its net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss (“short-term gain”), if any, annually but may make more frequent distributions thereof if necessary to avoid federal income or excise taxes. Each Fund may realize net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) and thus anticipates making annual distributions thereof. The Trustees may revise this distribution policy, or postpone the payment of distributions, if a Fund has or anticipates any large unexpected expense, loss or fluctuation in net assets that, in the Trustees’ opinion, might have a significant adverse effect on its shareholders.
Investors should be aware that if shares are purchased shortly before the record date for any dividend or capital gain distribution, the shareholder will pay full price for the shares and receive some portion of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution (with the tax consequences described in the Prospectus).
Taxes
Regulated Investment Company Status. Each Fund is treated as a separate entity for federal tax purposes and intends to qualify for treatment as a RIC. If a Fund so qualifies and satisfies the Distribution Requirement (defined below) for a taxable year, it will not be subject to federal income tax on the part of its investment company taxable income (generally consisting of net investment income, short-term gain, and net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions, all determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain it distributes to its shareholders for that year.
To qualify for treatment as a RIC, a Fund must distribute to its shareholders for each taxable year at least the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (“Distribution Requirement”) and 90% of its net exempt interest income and must meet several additional requirements. For each Fund, these requirements include the following: (1) the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income each taxable year from the following sources (collectively, “Qualifying Income”): (a) dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gains from options, futures, or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in securities or those currencies, and (b) net income from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (“QPTP”) (“Income Requirement”); and (2) at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the value of its total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities
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of other RICs and other securities, with those other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount that does not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and that does not represent more than 10% of the issuer’s outstanding voting securities (equity securities of QPTPs being considered voting securities for these purposes), and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets may be invested in (i) securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, (ii) securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers the Fund controls that are determined to be engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or (iii) securities of one or more QPTPs (collectively, “Diversification Requirements”). The Internal Revenue Service (“Service”) has ruled that income from a derivative contract on a commodity index generally is not Qualifying Income.
Although each Fund intends to satisfy all the foregoing requirements, there is no assurance that a Fund will be able to do so. The investment by a Fund primarily in options and futures positions entails some risk that it might fail to satisfy one or both of the Diversification Requirements. There is some uncertainty regarding the valuation of such positions for purposes of those requirements; accordingly, it is possible that the method of valuation a Fund uses, pursuant to which each of them would expect to be treated as satisfying the Diversification Requirements, would not be accepted in an audit by the Service, which might apply a different method resulting in disqualification of one or more funds.
If a Fund failed to qualify for treatment as a RIC for any taxable year, (1) its taxable income, including net capital gain, would be taxed at corporate income tax rates (up to 35%), (2) it would not receive a deduction for the distributions it makes to its shareholders, and (3) the shareholders would treat all those distributions, including distributions of net capital gain, as dividends (that is, ordinary income, except for the part of those dividends that is “qualified dividend income” (described in the Prospectus) (“QDI”)) if certain holding period and other requirements are met) to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits; those dividends would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction available to corporations under certain circumstances. In addition, the Fund would be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions before requalifying for RIC treatment. However, the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010 (“RIC Mod Act”) provides certain savings provisions that enable a RIC to cure a failure to satisfy any of the Income and Diversification Requirements as long as the failure “is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect” and the RIC pays a deductible tax calculated in accordance with those provisions and meets certain other requirements.
Excise Tax. Each Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax (“Excise Tax”) to the extent it fails to distribute by the end of any calendar year substantially all of its ordinary income for that year and capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of that year, plus certain other amounts.
Income from Foreign Securities. Dividends and interest a Fund receives, and gains it realizes, on foreign securities may be subject to income, withholding, or other taxes imposed by foreign countries and U.S. possessions that would reduce the yield and/or total return on its securities. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate these taxes, however, and many foreign countries do not impose taxes on capital gains in respect of investments by foreign investors.
Gains or losses (1) from the disposition of foreign currencies, including forward currency contracts, (2) on the disposition of each foreign-currency-denominated debt security that are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the dates of acquisition and disposition of the security, and (3) that are attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates that occur between the time a Fund accrues dividends, interest, or other receivables, or expenses or other liabilities, denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects the receivables or pays the liabilities, generally will be treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses will increase or decrease the amount of a Fund’s investment company taxable income to be distributed to its shareholders.
Each Fund may invest in the stock of “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”). A PFIC is any foreign corporation (with certain exceptions) that, in general, meets either of the following tests for a taxable year: (1) at least 75% of its gross income is passive or (2) an average of at least 50% of its assets produce, or are held for the production of, passive income. Under certain circumstances, a Fund will be subject to federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” it receives on the stock of a PFIC or of any gain on its disposition of the stock (collectively, “PFIC income”), plus interest thereon, even if the Fund distributes the PFIC income as a dividend to its shareholders. The balance of the PFIC income will be included in the Fund’s investment company taxable income and, accordingly, will not be taxable to it to the extent it distributes that income to its shareholders. Fund distributions thereof will not be eligible for the maximum federal income tax rates applicable to QDI.
If a Fund invests in a PFIC and elects to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” (“QEF”), then, in lieu of the foregoing tax and interest obligation, the Fund would be required to include in income each taxable year its pro rata share of the QEF’s annual ordinary earnings and net capital gain -- which the Fund probably would have to distribute to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and avoid imposition of the Excise Tax -- even if the Fund did not receive those earnings and gain from the QEF. In most instances it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to make this election because of certain requirements thereof.
Each Fund may elect to “mark to market” its stock in any PFIC. “Marking-to-market,” in this context, means including in gross income each taxable year (and treating as ordinary income) the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the PFIC’s
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stock over a Fund’s adjusted basis therein as of the end of that year. Pursuant to the election, a Fund also would be allowed to deduct (as an ordinary, not a capital, loss) the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis in PFIC stock over the fair market value thereof as of the taxable year-end, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains with respect to that stock the Fund included in income for prior taxable years under the election. A Fund’s adjusted basis in each PFIC’s stock with respect to which it makes this election would be adjusted to reflect the amounts of income included and deductions taken thereunder.
Derivatives Strategies. The use of derivatives strategies, such as writing (selling) and purchasing options and futures contracts and entering into forward contracts, involves complex rules that will determine for income tax purposes the amount, character, and timing of recognition of the gains and losses a Fund realizes in connection therewith. Gains from the disposition of foreign currencies (except certain gains therefrom that may be excluded by future regulations), and gains from options, futures, and forward contracts a Fund derives with respect to its business of investing in securities or foreign currencies, will be treated as Qualifying Income. Each Fund will monitor its transactions, make appropriate tax elections, and make appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any foreign currency, option, futures contract, forward contract, or hedged investment to mitigate the effect of these rules, seek to prevent its disqualification as a RIC, and minimize the imposition of federal income and excise taxes.
Some futures contracts, foreign currency contracts that are traded in the interbank market, and “nonequity” options (i.e., certain listed options, such as those on a “broad-based” securities index)except any “securities futures contract” that is not a “dealer securities futures contract” (both as defined in the Code) and any interest rate swap, currency swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap, or similar agreementin which a Fund invests may be subject to Code section 1256 (collectively “section 1256 contracts”). Section 1256 contracts that a Fund holds at the end of its taxable year must be “marked to market” (that is, treated as having been sold at that time for their fair market value) for federal income tax purposes, with the result that unrealized gains or losses will be treated as though they were realized. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss recognized on these deemed sales, and 60% of any net realized gain or loss from any actual sales of section 1256 contracts, will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and the balance will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. These rules may operate to increase the amount that a Fund must distribute to satisfy the Distribution Requirement (i.e., with respect to the portion treated as short-term capital gain), which will be taxable to its shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them, and to increase the net capital gain a Fund recognizes, without in either case increasing the cash available to it. A Fund may elect not to have the foregoing rules apply to any “mixed straddle” (that is, a straddle, which the Fund clearly identifies in accordance with applicable regulations, at least one (but not all) of the positions of which are section 1256 contracts), although doing so may have the effect of increasing the relative proportion of short-term capital gain (taxable as ordinary income) and thus increasing the amount of dividends it must distribute. Section 1256 contracts also may be marked-to-market for purposes of the Excise Tax.
Code section 1092 (dealing with straddles) also may affect the taxation of options, futures, and forward contracts in which a Fund may invest. That section defines a “straddle” as offsetting positions with respect to actively traded personal property; for these purposes, options, futures, and forward contracts are positions in personal property. Under that section, any loss from the disposition of a position in a straddle may be deducted only to the extent the loss exceeds the unrealized gain on the offsetting position(s) of the straddle. In addition, these rules may postpone the recognition of loss that otherwise would be recognized under the mark-to-market rules discussed above. The regulations under section 1092 also provide certain “wash sale” rules, which apply to transactions where a position is sold at a loss and a new offsetting position is acquired within a prescribed period, and “short sale” rules applicable to straddles. If a Fund makes certain elections, the amount, character, and timing of recognition of gains and losses from the affected straddle positions would be determined under rules that vary according to the elections made. Because only a few of the regulations implementing the straddle rules have been promulgated, the tax consequences to a Fund of straddle transactions are not entirely clear.
If a call option written by a Fund lapses (i.e., terminates without being exercised), the amount of the premium it received for the option will be short-term capital gain. If a Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction with respect to a written call option, it will have a short-term capital gain or loss based on the difference between the premium it received for the option it wrote and the premium it pays for the option it buys. If such an option is exercised and a Fund thus sells the securities or futures contract subject to the option, the premium the Fund received will be added to the exercise price to determine the gain or loss on the sale. If a call option purchased by a Fund lapses, it will realize short-term or long-term capital loss, depending on its holding period for the option. If a Fund exercises a purchased call option, the premium it paid for the option will be added to the basis in the subject securities or futures contract.
If a Fund has an “appreciated financial position” - generally, an interest (including an interest through an option, futures, or forward contract or short sale) with respect to any stock, debt instrument (other than “straight debt”), or partnership interest the fair market value of which exceeds its adjusted basis - and enters into a “constructive sale” of the position, the Fund will be treated as having made an actual sale thereof, with the result that it will recognize gain at that time. A constructive sale generally consists of a short sale, an offsetting notional principal contract, or a futures or forward contract a Fund or a related person enters into with respect to the same or substantially identical property. In addition, if the appreciated financial position is itself a short sale or such a contract, acquisition of the underlying property or substantially identical property will be deemed a constructive sale. The foregoing will not apply, however, to a Fund’s transaction during any
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taxable year that otherwise would be treated as a constructive sale if the transaction is closed within 30 days after the end of that year and the Fund holds the appreciated financial position unhedged for 60 days after that closing (i.e., at no time during that 60-day period is the Fund’s risk of loss regarding that position reduced by reason of certain specified transactions with respect to substantially identical or related property, such as having an option to sell, being contractually obligated to sell, making a short sale, or granting an option to buy substantially identical stock or securities).
Income from Zero-Coupon and Payment-in-Kind Securities. A Fund may acquire zero-coupon or other securities (such as strips) issued with OID. As a holder of those securities, a Fund must include in its gross income the OID that accrues on the securities during the taxable year, even if it receives no corresponding payment on them during the year. Similarly, a Fund must include in its gross income securities it receives as “interest” on payment-in-kind securities. With respect to “market discount bonds” (i.e., bonds purchased at a price less than their issue price plus the portion of OID previously accrued thereon), a Fund may elect to accrue and include in income each taxable year a portion of the bonds’ market discount. Because each Fund annually must distribute substantially all of its investment company taxable income, including any accrued OID and other non-cash income, to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and avoid imposition of the Excise Tax, a Fund may be required in a particular year to distribute as a dividend an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash it actually receives. Those distributions will be made from a Fund’s cash assets or from the proceeds of sales of portfolio securities, if necessary. A Fund may realize capital gains or losses from those sales, which would increase or decrease its investment company taxable income and/or net capital gain.
Income from REITs. A Fund may invest in REITs that (1) hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) or (2) engage in mortgage securitization transactions that cause the REITs to be taxable mortgage pools (“TMPs”) or have a qualified REIT subsidiary that is a TMP. A portion of the net income allocable to REMIC residual interest holders may be an “excess inclusion.” The Code authorizes the issuance of regulations dealing with the taxation and reporting of excess inclusion income of REITs and RICs that hold residual REMIC interests and of REITs, or qualified REIT subsidiaries that are TMPs. Although those regulations have not yet been issued, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Service issued a notice in 2006 (“Notice”) announcing that, pending the issuance of further guidance, the Service would apply the principles in the following paragraphs to all excess inclusion income, whether from REMIC residual interests or TMPs.
The Notice provides that a REIT must (1) determine whether it or its qualified REIT subsidiary (or a part of either) is a TMP and, if so, calculate the TMP’s excess inclusion income under a “reasonable method,” (2) allocate its excess inclusion income to its shareholders generally in proportion to dividends paid, (3) inform shareholders that are not “disqualified organizations” (i.e., governmental units and tax-exempt entities that are not subject to the unrelated business income tax) of the amount and character of the excess inclusion income allocated thereto, (4) pay tax (at the highest federal income tax rate imposed on corporations) on the excess inclusion income allocable to its shareholders that are disqualified organizations, and (5) apply the withholding tax provisions with respect to the excess inclusion part of dividends paid to foreign persons without regard to any treaty exception or reduction in tax rate. Excess inclusion income allocated to certain tax-exempt entities (including qualified retirement plans, individual retirement accounts, and public charities) constitutes unrelated business taxable income to them.
A RIC with excess inclusion income is subject to rules identical to those in clauses (2) through (5) (substituting “who are nominees” for “that are not ‘disqualified organizations’” in clause (3) and inserting “record” after “its” in clause (4)). The Notice further provides that a RIC is not required to report the amount and character of the excess inclusion income allocated to its shareholders that are not nominees, except that (1) a RIC with excess inclusion income from all sources that exceeds 1% of its gross income must do so and (2) any other RIC must do so by taking into account only excess inclusion income allocated to the RIC from a REIT the excess inclusion income of which exceeded 3% of the REIT’s dividends. A Fund will not invest directly in REMIC residual interests, and does not intend to invest in REITs that, to its knowledge, invest in those interests or are TMPs or have a qualified REIT subsidiary that is a TMP.
Taxation of Shareholders.
Basis Election and Reporting. A shareholder’s basis in Shares of a Fund that he or she acquires after December 31, 2011 (“Covered Shares”), will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s default method, which is average basis, unless the shareholder affirmatively elects in writing (which may be electronic) to use a different acceptable basis determination method, such as a specific identification method. The basis determination method a Fund shareholder elects (or the default method) may not be changed with respect to a redemption of Covered Shares after the settlement date of the redemption.
In addition to the requirement to report the gross proceeds from redemptions of shares, each Fund (or its administrative agent) must report to the Service and furnish to its shareholders the basis information for Covered Shares and indicate whether they had a short-term (one year or less) or long-term (more than one year) holding period. Fund shareholders should consult with their tax advisers to decide the best Service-accepted basis determination method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about how the basis reporting law applies to them.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). As mentioned in the Prospectus, under FATCA “foreign financial institutions” (“FFIs”) or “non-financial foreign entities” (“NFFEs”) that are Fund shareholders may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on (1) income dividends, and (2) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds of a redemption of Shares a Fund pays after December 31, 2018. That withholding tax generally can be avoided, however, as discussed below.
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An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding by becoming a “participating FFI,” which requires the FFI to enter into a tax compliance agreement with the Service. Under such an agreement, a participating FFI agrees to (1) verify and document whether it has U.S. accountholders, (2) report certain information regarding their accounts to the Service, and (3) meet certain other specified requirements.
The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (“IGAs”) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA; entities in those countries may be required to comply with the terms of the IGA instead of Treasury regulations. An FFI resident in a country that has entered into a Model I IGA with the United States must report to that country’s government (pursuant to the terms of the applicable IGA and applicable law), which will, in turn, report to the Service. An FFI resident in a Model II IGA country generally must comply with U.S. regulatory requirements, with certain exceptions, including the treatment of recalcitrant accountholders. An FFI resident in one of those countries that complies with whichever of the foregoing applies will be exempt from FATCA withholding.
An NFFE that is the beneficial owner of a payment from a Fund can avoid FATCA withholding generally by certifying its status as such and, in certain circumstances that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or by providing the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each such owner. The NFFE will report to the Fund or other applicable withholding agent, which will, in turn, report information to the Service.
Those non-U.S. shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted, or deemed compliant categories established by Treasury regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in a Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entity’s status under FATCA to avoid FATCA withholding. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the tax certification rules to avoid backup withholding described above. Foreign investors are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation and the impact thereof on their investment in a Fund.
* * * * *
The foregoing is only a general summary of some of the important federal tax considerations generally affecting the Funds. No attempt is made to present a complete explanation of the federal tax treatment of the Funds' activities, and this discussion is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Accordingly, potential investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers for more detailed information and for information regarding any state, local, or foreign taxes applicable to a Fund and to distributions therefrom.
For federal income tax purposes, a Fund is generally permitted to carry forward a net capital loss in any year to offset net capital gains, if any, during its taxable years following the year of the loss. The carryforward of capital losses realized in taxable years beginning prior to December 23, 2010, however, is limited to an eight-year period following the year of realization. Thereafter, capital losses carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses rather than being considered all short-term as under previous law. A Fund must use losses that do not expire before it uses losses that do expire and a Fund’s ability to utilize capital losses in a given year or in total may be limited. To the extent subsequent net capital gains are offset by such losses, they would not result in federal income tax liability to a Fund and as noted above, would not be distributed as such to shareholders.
Capital Loss Carryforwards. Pursuant to the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, capital losses sustained in future taxable years will not expire and may be carried over without limitation.
Financial Statements
Because the Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, no financial statements are available for the Funds.
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APPENDIX A
Description of Corporate Bond Ratings
Moody’s Investors Service and Standard and Poor’s are two prominent independent rating agencies that rate the quality of bonds. Following are expanded explanations of the ratings shown in the Prospectus and this SAI.
Moody’s Investors Service Global Long-Term Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moody’s global long-term rating scale are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default. Such ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.
Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.
Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.
B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest
Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*
* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.
Moody’s Investors Service National Scale Long-Term Ratings
Moody’ s long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody’s assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country. In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located (e.g., Aaa.br for Brazil).
Aaa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Aa.n: Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
A.n: Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Baa.n: Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Ba.n: Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers
B.n: Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Caa.n: Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Ca.n: Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
C.n: Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers.
Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
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Standard and Poor’s Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings*
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on Standard & Poor's analysis of the following considerations: likelihood of paymentcapacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; nature of and provisions of the obligation and the promise we impute; and protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.
Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)
AAA: An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA: An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A: An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB: An obligation rated 'BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
BB; B; CCC; CC; and C: Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB: An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B: An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated 'BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC: An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC: An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The 'CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but Standard & Poor's expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
C: An obligation rated 'C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.
D: An obligation rated 'D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to 'D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor's does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
*The ratings from 'AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
Moody’s Investors Service Short Term Obligation Ratings
The Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) scale is used to rate US municipal bond anticipation notes of up to three years maturity. Municipal notes rated on the MIG scale may be secured by either pledged revenues or proceeds of a take-out financing received prior to note maturity. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation, and the issuer’s long-term rating is only one consideration in assigning the MIG rating. MIG ratings are divided into three levelsMIG 1 through MIG 3while speculative grade short-term obligations are designated SG.
MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
A-2

 

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
Standard and Poor’s Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings
A Standard & Poor's U.S. municipal note rating reflects Standard & Poor's opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, Standard & Poor's analysis will review the following considerations:Amortization schedulethe larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; andSource of paymentthe more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.
SP-1: Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
SP-2: Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3: Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Moody’s Investors Service Global Short Term Rating Scale
Ratings assigned on Moody’s global short-term rating scale are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default.
P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Standard and Poor’s Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1: A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2: A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3: A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B: A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
C: A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
D: A short-term obligation rated 'D' is in payment default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example, due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D” if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Standard & Poor's assigns "dual" ratings to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature as part of their structure. The first rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second rating addresses only the demand feature. The long-term rating symbols are used for bonds to denote the long-term maturity and the
A-3

 

short-term rating symbols for the put option (for example, 'AAA/A-1+'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, note rating symbols are used with the short-term issue credit rating symbols (for example, 'SP-1+/A-1+').
A-4

 

APPENDIX B
Direxion Shares ETF Trust
Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
Recognizing the increased scrutiny that both institutions and corporations are under, it is important to have corporate governance that appreciates the importance of consistently applied policy guidelines that are aligned with investors’ views on key issues. With this in mind we currently use ISS’s proxy voting service to execute ballots on behalf of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust (collectively, the “Trust”). ISS prepares custom research and votes per their recommendation. If we agree with their recommendation, no action is required. However, we retain the right and ability to override the vote if you disagree with ISS’s vote recommendation.
I. Duty to Vote Proxies
Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty”) views seriously its responsibility to exercise voting authority over securities that are owned by the Trust.
To document that proxies are being voted, ISS (on behalf of the Trust) will maintain a record reflecting when and how each proxy is voted consistent with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 and other applicable regulations. Rafferty will make its proxy voting history and policies and procedures available to shareholders upon request.
II. Guidelines for Voting Proxies
Rafferty generally follows the recommendations of ISS’s proxy voting guidelines as outlined below. Proxy proposals are considered on their own merits and a determination is made as to support or oppose management’s recommendation. Rafferty will typically accept ISS’s recommendations on social issues as it does not have the means to evaluate the economic impact of such proposals, or determine a consensus among shareholders’ social or political viewpoints.
III. Review and Compliance
It is Rafferty’s responsibility to oversee ISS’s proxy voting to ensure compliance and timely reporting to US Bank. Reports are verified monthly through ISS’s Votex website. ISS provides US Bank with the NP-X file covering the period from July 1st through June 30th of the following year. US Bank files the NP-X with the SEC on the Trust’s behalf. These records are maintained for five years and the previous two years proxy voting records can be accessed by contacting US Bank.
Below is a summary outlining ISS’s US Proxy Voting Guidelines.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Voting on Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections
General Recommendation: Generally vote for director nominees, except under the following circumstances:
1. Accountability
Vote against(1) or withhold from the entire board of directors (except new nominees(2), who should be considered case- by-case) for the following:
Problematic Takeover Defenses
Classified Board Structure:
1.1. The board is classified, and a continuing director responsible for a problematic governance issue at the board/committee level that would warrant a withhold/against vote recommendation is not up for election. All appropriate nominees (except new) may be held accountable.
(1) In general, companies with a plurality vote standard use “Withhold” as the contrary vote option in director elections; companies with a majority vote standard use “Against”. However, it will vary by company and the proxy must be checked to determine the valid contrary vote option for the particular company.
(2) A “new nominee” is any current nominee who has not already been elected by shareholders and who joined the board after the problematic action in question transpired. If ISS cannot determine whether the nominee joined the board before or after the problematic action transpired, the nominee will be considered a “new nominee” if he or she joined the board within the 12 months prior to the upcoming shareholder meeting.
B-1

 

Director Performance Evaluation:
1.2. The board lacks accountability and oversight, coupled with sustained poor performance relative to peers. Sustained poor performance is measured by one- and three-year total shareholder returns in the bottom half of a company’s four-digit GICS industry group (Russell 3000 companies only). Take into consideration the company’s five-year total shareholder return and operational metrics. Problematic provisions include but are not limited to:
A classified board structure;
A supermajority vote requirement;
Either a plurality vote standard in uncontested director elections or a majority vote standard with no plurality carve-out for contested elections;
The inability of shareholders to call special meetings;
The inability of shareholders to act by written consent;
A dual-class capital structure; and/or
A nonshareholder-approved poison pill.
Poison Pills:
1.3. The company’s poison pill has a “dead-hand” or “modified dead-hand” feature. Vote against or withhold from nominees every year until this feature is removed;
1.4. The board adopts a poison pill with a term of more than 12 months (“long-term pill”), or renews any existing pill, including any “short-term” pill (12 months or less), without shareholder approval. A commitment or policy that puts a newly adopted pill to a binding shareholder vote may potentially offset an adverse vote recommendation. Review such companies with classified boards every year, and such companies with annually elected boards at least once every three years, and vote against or withhold votes from all nominees if the company still maintains a non-shareholder-approved poison pill; or
1.5. The board makes a material adverse change to an existing poison pill without shareholder approval. Vote case-by-case on all nominees if:
1.6. The board adopts a poison pill with a term of 12 months or less (“short-term pill”) without shareholder approval, taking into account the following factors:
The date of the pill‘s adoption relative to the date of the next meeting of shareholdersi.e. whether the company had time to put the pill on the ballot for shareholder ratification given the circumstances;
The issuer’s rationale;
The issuer’s governance structure and practices; and
The issuer’s track record of accountability to shareholders.
Problematic Audit-Related Practices
Generally vote against or withhold from the members of the Audit Committee if:
1.7. The non-audit fees paid to the auditor are excessive (see discussion under “Auditor Ratification”);
1.8. The company receives an adverse opinion on the company’s financial statements from its auditor; or
1.9. There is persuasive evidence that the Audit Committee entered into an inappropriate indemnification agreement with its auditor that limits the ability of the company, or its shareholders, to pursue legitimate legal recourse against the audit firm.
Vote case-by-case on members of the Audit Committee and potentially the full board if:
1.10. Poor accounting practices are identified that rise to a level of serious concern, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; and material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures. Examine the severity, breadth, chronological sequence, and duration, as well as the company’s efforts at remediation or corrective actions, in determining whether withhold/against votes are warranted.
Problematic Compensation Practices/Pay for Performance Misalignment
In the absence of an Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation ballot item or in egregious situations, vote against or withhold from the members of the Compensation Committee and potentially the full board if:
1.11. There is a significant misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance);
1.12. The company maintains significant problematic pay practices;
1.13. The board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders;
1.14. The company fails to submit one-time transfers of stock options to a shareholder vote; or
1.15. The company fails to fulfill the terms of a burn rate commitment made to shareholders.
B-2

 

Vote case-by-case on Compensation Committee members (or, in exceptional cases, the full board) and the Management Say-on-Pay proposal if:
1.16. The company’s previous say-on-pay received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast, taking into account:
The company's response, including:
Disclosure of engagement efforts with major institutional investors regarding the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Specific actions taken to address the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Other recent compensation actions taken by the company;
Whether the issues raised are recurring or isolated;
The company's ownership structure; and
Whether the support level was less than 50 percent, which would warrant the highest degree of responsiveness.
Unilateral Bylaw/Charter Amendments
1.17. Generally vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by-case) if the board amends the company's bylaws or charter without shareholder approval in a manner that materially diminishes shareholders' rights or that could adversely impact shareholders, considering the following factors:
The board's rationale for adopting the bylaw/charter amendment without shareholder ratification;
Disclosure by the company of any significant engagement with shareholders regarding the amendment;
The level of impairment of shareholders' rights caused by the board's unilateral amendment to the bylaws/charter;
The board's track record with regard to unilateral board action on bylaw/charter amendments or other entrenchment provisions;
The company's ownership structure;
The company's existing governance provisions;
The timing of the board's amendment to the bylaws/charter in connection with a significant business development; and,
Other factors, as deemed appropriate, that may be relevant to determine the impact of the amendment on shareholders.
Unless the adverse amendment is reversed or submitted to a binding shareholder vote, in subsequent years vote case- by-case on director nominees. Generally vote against (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by-case) if the directors:
Classified the board;
Adopted supermajority vote requirements to amend the bylaws or charter; or
Eliminated shareholders' ability to amend bylaws.
1.18. For newly public companies, generally vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by-case) if, prior to or in connection with the company's public offering, the company or its board adopted bylaw or charter provisions materially adverse to shareholder rights, considering the following factors:
The level of impairment of shareholders' rights caused by the provision;
The disclosed rationale for adopting the provision;
The ability to change the governance structure in the future (e.g., limitations on shareholders’ right to amend the bylaws or charter, or supermajority vote requirements to amend the bylaws or charter);
The ability of shareholders to hold directors accountable through annual director elections, or whether the company has a classified board structure; and,
A public commitment to put the provision to a shareholder vote within three years of the date of the initial public offering.
Unless the adverse provision is reversed or submitted to a vote of public shareholders, vote case-by-case on director nominees in subsequent years.
B-3

 

Governance Failures
Under extraordinary circumstances, vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board, due to:
1.19. Material failures of governance, stewardship, risk oversight(3), or fiduciary responsibilities at the company;
1.20. Failure to replace management as appropriate; or
1.21. Egregious actions related to a director’s service on other boards that raise substantial doubt about his or her ability to effectively oversee management and serve the best interests of shareholders at any company.
2. Responsiveness
Vote case-by-case on individual directors, committee members, or the entire board of directors as appropriate if:
2.1. The board failed to act on a shareholder proposal that received the support of a majority of the shares cast in the previous year. Factors that will be considered are:
Disclosed outreach efforts by the board to shareholders in the wake of the vote;
Rationale provided in the proxy statement for the level of implementation;
The subject matter of the proposal;
The level of support for and opposition to the resolution in past meetings;
Actions taken by the board in response to the majority vote and its engagement with shareholders;
The continuation of the underlying issue as a voting item on the ballot (as either shareholder or management proposals); and
Other factors as appropriate.
2.2. The board failed to act on takeover offers where the majority of shares are tendered;
2.3. At the previous board election, any director received more than 50 percent withhold/against votes of the shares cast and the company has failed to address the issue(s) that caused the high withhold/against vote;
2.4. The board implements an advisory vote on executive compensation on a less frequent basis than the frequency that received the majority of votes cast at the most recent shareholder meeting at which shareholders voted on the say-on-pay frequency; or
2.5. The board implements an advisory vote on executive compensation on a less frequent basis than the frequency that received a plurality, but not a majority, of the votes cast at the most recent shareholder meeting at which shareholders voted on the say-on-pay frequency, taking into account:
The board's rationale for selecting a frequency that is different from the frequency that received a plurality;
The company's ownership structure and vote results;
ISS' analysis of whether there are compensation concerns or a history of problematic compensation practices; and
The previous year's support level on the company's say-on-pay proposal.
3. Composition
Attendance at Board and Committee Meetings:
3.1. Generally vote against or withhold from directors (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by- case(4)) who attend less than 75 percent of the aggregate of their board and committee meetings for the period for which they served, unless an acceptable reason for absences is disclosed in the proxy or another SEC filing. Acceptable reasons for director absences are generally limited to the following:
Medical issues/illness;
Family emergencies; and
Missing only one meeting (when the total of all meetings is three or fewer).
3.2. If the proxy disclosure is unclear and insufficient to determine whether a director attended at least 75 percent of the aggregate of his/her board and committee meetings during his/her period of service, vote against or withhold from the director(s) in question.
(3) Examples of failure of risk oversight include, but are not limited to: bribery; large or serial fines or sanctions from regulatory bodies; significant adverse legal judgments or settlements; hedging of company stock; or significant pledging of company stock.
(4) For new nominees only, schedule conflicts due to commitments made prior to their appointment to the board are considered if disclosed in the proxy or another SEC filing.
B-4

 

Overboarded Directors:
Vote against or withhold from individual directors who:
3.3. Sit on more than six public company boards; with respect to annual meetings on or after Feb. 1, 2017(5), sit on more than five public company boards; or
3.4. Are CEOs of public companies who sit on the boards of more than two public companies besides their own — withhold only at their outside boards(6).
4. Independence
Vote against or withhold from Inside Directors and Affiliated Outside Directors (per the Categorization of Directors) when:
4.1. The inside or affiliated outside director serves on any of the three key committees: audit, compensation, or nominating;
4.2. The company lacks an audit, compensation, or nominating committee so that the full board functions as that committee;
4.3. The company lacks a formal nominating committee, even if the board attests that the independent directors fulfill the functions of such a committee; or
4.4. Independent directors make up less than a majority of the directors.
Independent Chair (Separate Chair/CEO)
General Recommendation: Generally vote for shareholder proposals requiring that the chairman’s position be filled by an independent director, taking into consideration the following:
The scope of the proposal;
The company's current board leadership structure;
The company's governance structure and practices;
Company performance; and
Any other relevant factors that may be applicable.
Regarding the scope of the proposal, consider whether the proposal is precatory or binding and whether the proposal is seeking an immediate change in the chairman role or the policy can be implemented at the next CEO transition.
Under the review of the company's board leadership structure, ISS may support the proposal under the following scenarios absent a compelling rationale: the presence of an executive or non-independent chair in addition to the CEO; a recent recombination of the role of CEO and chair; and/or departure from a structure with an independent chair. ISS will also consider any recent transitions in board leadership and the effect such transitions may have on independent board leadership as well as the designation of a lead director role.
When considering the governance structure, ISS will consider the overall independence of the board, the independence of key committees, the establishment of governance guidelines, board tenure and its relationship to CEO tenure, and any other factors that may be relevant. Any concerns about a company's governance structure will weigh in favor of support for the proposal.
The review of the company's governance practices may include, but is not limited to poor compensation practices, material failures of governance and risk oversight, related-party transactions or other issues putting director independence at risk, corporate or management scandals, and actions by management or the board with potential or realized negative impact on shareholders. Any such practices may suggest a need for more independent oversight at the company thus warranting support of the proposal.
ISS' performance assessment will generally consider one-, three, and five-year TSR compared to the company's peers and the market as a whole. While poor performance will weigh in favor of the adoption of an independent chair policy, strong performance over the long-term will be considered a mitigating factor when determining whether the proposed leadership change warrants support.
(5) This policy change includes a 1-year transition period to allow time for affected directors to address necessary changes if they wish.
(6) Although all of a CEO’s subsidiary boards will be counted as separate boards, ISS will not recommend a withhold vote from the CEO of a parent company board or any of the controlled (>50 percent ownership) subsidiaries of that parent, but may do so at subsidiaries that are less than 50 percent controlled and boards outside the parent/subsidiary relationships.
B-5

 

Proxy Access
General Recommendation: Generally vote for management and shareholder proposals for proxy access with the following provisions:
Ownership threshold: maximum requirement not more than three percent (3%) of the voting power;
Ownership duration: maximum requirement not longer than three (3) years of continuous ownership for each member of the nominating group;
Aggregation: minimal or no limits on the number of shareholders permitted to form a nominating group;
Cap: cap on nominees of generally twenty-five percent (25%) of the board.
Review for reasonableness any other restrictions on the right of proxy access.
Generally vote against proposals that are more restrictive than these guidelines.
Proxy Contests/Proxy Access Voting for Director Nominees in Contested Elections
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on the election of directors in contested elections, considering the following factors:
Long-term financial performance of the company relative to its industry;
Management’s track record;
Background to the contested election;
Nominee qualifications and any compensatory arrangements;
Strategic plan of dissident slate and quality of the critique against management;
Likelihood that the proposed goals and objectives can be achieved (both slates); and
Stock ownership positions.
In the case of candidates nominated pursuant to proxy access, vote case-by-case considering any applicable factors listed above or additional factors which may be relevant, including those that are specific to the company, to the nominee(s) and/or to the nature of the election (such as whether or not there are more candidates than board seats).
CAPITAL/RESTRUCTURING
Common Stock Authorization
General Recommendation: Vote for proposals to increase the number of authorized common shares where the primary purpose of the increase is to issue shares in connection with a transaction on the same ballot that warrants support.
Vote against proposals at companies with more than one class of common stock to increase the number of authorized shares of the class of common stock that has superior voting rights.
Vote against proposals to increase the number of authorized common shares if a vote for a reverse stock split on the same ballot is warranted despite the fact that the authorized shares would not be reduced proportionally.
Vote case-by-case on all other proposals to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance. Take into account company-specific factors that include, at a minimum, the following:
Past Board Performance:
The company's use of authorized shares during the last three years
The Current Request:
Disclosure in the proxy statement of the specific purposes of the proposed increase;
Disclosure in the proxy statement of specific and severe risks to shareholders of not approving the request; and
The dilutive impact of the request as determined relative to an allowable increase calculated by ISS (typically 100 percent of existing authorized shares) that reflects the company's need for shares and total shareholder returns.
ISS will apply the relevant allowable increase below to requests to increase common stock that are for general corporate purposes (or to the general corporate purposes portion of a request that also includes a specific need):
A. Most companies: 100 percent of existing authorized shares.
B. Companies with less than 50 percent of existing authorized shares either outstanding or reserved for issuance: 50 percent of existing authorized shares.
C. Companies with one- and three-year total shareholder returns (TSRs) in the bottom 10 percent of the U.S. market as of the end of the calendar quarter that is closest to their most recent fiscal year end: 50 percent of existing authorized shares.
D. Companies at which both conditions (B and C) above are both present: 25 percent of existing authorized shares.
B-6

 

If there is an acquisition, private placement, or similar transaction on the ballot (not including equity incentive plans) that ISS is recommending FOR, the allowable increase will be the greater of (i) twice the amount needed to support the transactions on the ballot, and (ii) the allowable increase as calculated above.
Mergers and Acquisitions
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on mergers and acquisitions. Review and evaluate the merits and drawbacks of the proposed transaction, balancing various and sometimes countervailing factors including:
Valuation - Is the value to be received by the target shareholders (or paid by the acquirer) reasonable? While the fairness opinion may provide an initial starting point for assessing valuation reasonableness, emphasis is placed on the offer premium, market reaction and strategic rationale.
Market reaction - How has the market responded to the proposed deal? A negative market reaction should cause closer scrutiny of a deal.
Strategic rationale - Does the deal make sense strategically? From where is the value derived? Cost and revenue synergies should not be overly aggressive or optimistic, but reasonably achievable. Management should also have a favorable track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions.
Negotiations and process - Were the terms of the transaction negotiated at arm's-length? Was the process fair and equitable? A fair process helps to ensure the best price for shareholders. Significant negotiation "wins" can also signify the deal makers' competency. The comprehensiveness of the sales process (e.g., full auction, partial auction, no auction) can also affect shareholder value.
Conflicts of interest - Are insiders benefiting from the transaction disproportionately and inappropriately as compared to non-insider shareholders? As the result of potential conflicts, the directors and officers of the company may be more likely to vote to approve a merger than if they did not hold these interests. Consider whether these interests may have influenced these directors and officers to support or recommend the merger. The CIC figure presented in the "ISS Transaction Summary" section of this report is an aggregate figure that can in certain cases be a misleading indicator of the true value transfer from shareholders to insiders. Where such figure appears to be excessive, analyze the underlying assumptions to determine whether a potential conflict exists.
Governance - Will the combined company have a better or worse governance profile than the current governance profiles of the respective parties to the transaction? If the governance profile is to change for the worse, the burden is on the company to prove that other issues (such as valuation) outweigh any deterioration in governance.
COMPENSATION
Executive Pay Evaluation
Underlying all evaluations are five global principles that most investors expect corporations to adhere to in designing and administering executive and director compensation programs:
1. Maintain appropriate pay-for-performance alignment, with emphasis on long-term shareholder value: This principle encompasses overall executive pay practices, which must be designed to attract, retain, and appropriately motivate the key employees who drive shareholder value creation over the long term. It will take into consideration, among other factors, the link between pay and performance; the mix between fixed and variable pay; performance goals; and equity-based plan costs;
2. Avoid arrangements that risk “pay for failure”: This principle addresses the appropriateness of long or indefinite contracts, excessive severance packages, and guaranteed compensation;
3. Maintain an independent and effective compensation committee: This principle promotes oversight of executive pay programs by directors with appropriate skills, knowledge, experience, and a sound process for compensation decision-making (e.g., including access to independent expertise and advice when needed);
4. Provide shareholders with clear, comprehensive compensation disclosures: This principle underscores the importance of informative and timely disclosures that enable shareholders to evaluate executive pay practices fully and fairly;
5. Avoid inappropriate pay to non-executive directors: This principle recognizes the interests of shareholders in ensuring that compensation to outside directors does not compromise their independence and ability to make appropriate judgments in overseeing managers’ pay and performance. At the market level, it may incorporate a variety of generally accepted best practices.
Advisory Votes on Executive CompensationManagement Proposals (Management Say-on- Pay)
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on ballot items related to executive pay and practices, as well as certain aspects of outside director compensation.
Vote against Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation (Management Say-on-PayMSOP) if:
There is a significant misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance);
B-7

 

The company maintains significant problematic pay practices;
The board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders.
Vote against or withhold from the members of the Compensation Committee and potentially the full board if:
There is no MSOP on the ballot, and an against vote on an MSOP is warranted due to pay for performance misalignment, problematic pay practices, or the lack of adequate responsiveness on compensation issues raised previously, or a combination thereof;
The board fails to respond adequately to a previous MSOP proposal that received less than 70 percent support of votes cast;
The company has recently practiced or approved problematic pay practices, including option repricing or option backdating; or
The situation is egregious.
Primary Evaluation Factors for Executive Pay
Pay-for-Performance Evaluation
ISS annually conducts a pay-for-performance analysis to identify strong or satisfactory alignment between pay and performance over a sustained period. With respect to companies in the Russell 3000 or Russell 3000E Indices(7), this analysis considers the following:
1. Peer Group(8) Alignment:
The degree of alignment between the company's annualized TSR rank and the CEO's annualized total pay rank within a peer group, each measured over a three-year period.
The multiple of the CEO's total pay relative to the peer group median.
2. Absolute Alignment(9) the absolute alignment between the trend in CEO pay and company TSR over the prior five fiscal years i.e., the difference between the trend in annual pay changes and the trend in annualized TSR during the period.
If the above analysis demonstrates significant unsatisfactory long-term pay-for-performance alignment or, in the case of companies outside the Russell indices, misaligned pay and performance are otherwise suggested, our analysis may include any of the following qualitative factors, as relevant to evaluating how various pay elements may work to encourage or to undermine long-term value creation and alignment with shareholder interests:
The ratio of performance- to time-based equity awards;
The overall ratio of performance-based compensation;
The completeness of disclosure and rigor of performance goals;
The company's peer group benchmarking practices;
Actual results of financial/operational metrics, such as growth in revenue, profit, cash flow, etc., both absolute and relative to peers;
Special circumstances related to, for example, a new CEO in the prior FY or anomalous equity grant practices (e.g. bi-annual awards);
Realizable pay(10) compared to grant pay; and
Any other factors deemed relevant.
Problematic Pay Practices
The focus is on executive compensation practices that contravene the global pay principles, including:
Problematic practices related to non-performance-based compensation elements;
Incentives that may motivate excessive risk-taking; and
Options Backdating.
(7) The Russell 3000E Index includes approximately 4,000 of the largest U.S. equity securities.
(8) The revised peer group is generally comprised of 14-24 companies that are selected using market cap, revenue (or assets for certain financial firms), GICS industry group, and company's selected peers' GICS industry group, with size constraints, via a process designed to select peers that are comparable to the subject company in terms of revenue/assets and industry, and also within a market cap bucket that is reflective of the company's. For Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels companies, market cap is the only size determinant.
(9) Only Russell 3000 Index companies are subject to the Absolute Alignment analysis.
(10) ISS research reports include realizable pay for S&P1500 companies.
B-8

 

Problematic Pay Practices related to Non-Performance-Based Compensation Elements
Pay elements that are not directly based on performance are generally evaluated case-by-case considering the context of a company's overall pay program and demonstrated pay-for-performance philosophy. Please refer to ISS' Compensation FAQ document for detail on specific pay practices that have been identified as potentially problematic and may lead to negative recommendations if they are deemed to be inappropriate or unjustified relative to executive pay best practices. The list below highlights the problematic practices that carry significant weight in this overall consideration and may result in adverse vote recommendations:
Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/SARS without prior shareholder approval (including cash buyouts and voluntary surrender of underwater options);
Excessive perquisites or tax gross-ups, including any gross-up related to a secular trust or restricted stock vesting;
New or extended agreements that provide for:
CIC payments exceeding 3 times base salary and average/target/most recent bonus;
CIC severance payments without involuntary job loss or substantial diminution of duties ("single" or "modified single" triggers);
CIC payments with excise tax gross-ups (including "modified" gross-ups);
Insufficient executive compensation disclosure by externally- managed issuers (EMIs) such that a reasonable assessment of pay programs and practices applicable to the EMI's executives is not possible.
Incentives that may Motivate Excessive Risk-Taking
Multi-year guaranteed bonuses;
A single or common performance metric used for short- and long-term plans;
Lucrative severance packages;
High pay opportunities relative to industry peers;
Disproportionate supplemental pensions; or
Mega annual equity grants that provide unlimited upside with no downside risk.
Factors that potentially mitigate the impact of risky incentives include rigorous claw-back provisions and robust stock ownership/holding guidelines.
Options Backdating
The following factors should be examined case-by-case to allow for distinctions to be made between “sloppy” plan administration versus deliberate action or fraud:
Reason and motive for the options backdating issue, such as inadvertent vs. deliberate grant date changes;
Duration of options backdating;
Size of restatement due to options backdating;
Corrective actions taken by the board or compensation committee, such as canceling or re-pricing backdated options, the recouping of option gains on backdated grants; and
Adoption of a grant policy that prohibits backdating, and creates a fixed grant schedule or window period for equity grants in the future.
Compensation Committee Communications and Responsiveness
Consider the following factors case-by-case when evaluating ballot items related to executive pay on the board’s responsiveness to investor input and engagement on compensation issues:
Failure to respond to majority-supported shareholder proposals on executive pay topics; or
Failure to adequately respond to the company's previous say-on-pay proposal that received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast, taking into account:
The company's response, including:
Disclosure of engagement efforts with major institutional investors regarding the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Specific actions taken to address the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
Other recent compensation actions taken by the company;
Whether the issues raised are recurring or isolated;
The company's ownership structure; and
Whether the support level was less than 50 percent, which would warrant the highest degree of responsiveness.
B-9

 

Equity-Based and Other Incentive Plans
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on certain equity-based compensation plans(11) depending on a combination of certain plan features and equity grant practices, where positive factors may counterbalance negative factors, and vice versa, as evaluated using an "equity plan scorecard" (EPSC) approach with three pillars:
Plan Cost: The total estimated cost of the company’s equity plans relative to industry/market cap peers, measured by the company's estimated Shareholder Value Transfer (SVT) in relation to peers and considering both:
SVT based on new shares requested plus shares remaining for future grants, plus outstanding unvested/unexercised grants; and
SVT based only on new shares requested plus shares remaining for future grants.
Plan Features:
Automatic single-triggered award vesting upon a change in control (CIC);
Discretionary vesting authority;
Liberal share recycling on various award types;
Lack of minimum vesting period for grants made under the plan.
Grant Practices:
The company’s three year burn rate relative to its industry/market cap peers;
Vesting requirements in most recent CEO equity grants (3-year look-back);
The estimated duration of the plan (based on the sum of shares remaining available and the new shares requested, divided by the average annual shares granted in the prior three years);
The proportion of the CEO's most recent equity grants/awards subject to performance conditions;
Whether the company maintains a claw-back policy;
Whether the company has established post exercise/vesting share-holding requirements.
Generally vote against the plan proposal if the combination of above factors indicates that the plan is not, overall, in shareholders' interests, or if any of the following egregious factors apply:
Awards may vest in connection with a liberal change-of-control definition;
The plan would permit repricing or cash buyout of underwater options without shareholder approval (either by expressly permitting it for NYSE and Nasdaq listed companies -- or by not prohibiting it when the company has a history of repricing for non-listed companies);
The plan is a vehicle for problematic pay practices or a significant pay-for-performance disconnect under certain circumstances; or
Any other plan features are determined to have a significant negative impact on shareholder interests.
SOCIAL/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS)
Global Approach
Issues covered under the policy include a wide range of topics, including consumer and product safety, environment and energy, labor standards and human rights, workplace and board diversity, and corporate political issues. While a variety of factors goes into each analysis, the overall principle guiding all vote recommendations focuses on how the proposal may enhance or protect shareholder value in either the short or long term.
General Recommendation: Generally vote case-by-case, taking into consideration whether implementation of the proposal is likely to enhance or protect shareholder value, and in addition the following will also be considered:
If the issues presented in the proposal are more appropriately or effectively dealt with through legislation or government regulation;
If the company has already responded in an appropriate and sufficient manner to the issue(s) raised in the proposal;
Whether the proposal's request is unduly burdensome (scope or timeframe) or overly prescriptive;
The company's approach compared with any industry standard practices for addressing the issue(s) raised by the proposal;
If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether or not reasonable and sufficient
information is currently available to shareholders from the company or from other publicly available sources; and
If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether or not implementation would reveal proprietary or confidential information that could place the company at a competitive disadvantage.
(11)
Proposals evaluated under the EPSC policy generally include those to approve or amend (1) stock option plans for employees and/or employees and directors, (2) restricted stock plans for employees and/or employees and directors, and (3) omnibus stock incentive plans for employees and/or employees and directors.
B-10

 

Climate Change/Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
General Recommendation: Generally vote for resolutions requesting that a company disclose information on the risks related to climate change on its operations and investments, such as financial, physical, or regulatory risks, considering:
Whether the company already provides current, publicly-available information on the impact that climate change may have on the company as well as associated company policies and procedures to address related risks and/or opportunities;
The company’s level of disclosure is at least comparable to that of industry peers; and
There are no significant controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company’s environmental performance.
Generally vote for proposals requesting a report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from company operations and/or products and operations, unless:
The company already discloses current, publicly-available information on the impacts that GHG emissions may have on the company as well as associated company policies and procedures to address related risks and/or opportunities;
The company's level of disclosure is comparable to that of industry peers; and
There are no significant, controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company's GHG emissions.
Vote case-by-case on proposals that call for the adoption of GHG reduction goals from products and operations, taking into account:
Whether the company provides disclosure of year-over-year GHG emissions performance data;
Whether company disclosure lags behind industry peers;
The company's actual GHG emissions performance;
The company's current GHG emission policies, oversight mechanisms, and related initiatives; and
Whether the company has been the subject of recent, significant violations, fines, litigation, or controversy related to GHG emissions.
Board Diversity
General Recommendation: Generally vote for requests for reports on a company's efforts to diversify the board, unless:
The gender and racial minority representation of the company’s board is reasonably inclusive in relation to companies of similar size and business; and
The board already reports on its nominating procedures and gender and racial minority initiatives on the board and within the company.
Vote case-by-case on proposals asking a company to increase the gender and racial minority representation on its board, taking into account:
The degree of existing gender and racial minority diversity on the company’s board and among its executive officers;
The level of gender and racial minority representation that exists at the company’s industry peers;
The company’s established process for addressing gender and racial minority board representation;
Whether the proposal includes an overly prescriptive request to amend nominating committee charter language;
The independence of the company’s nominating committee;
Whether the company uses an outside search firm to identify potential director nominees; and
Whether the company has had recent controversies, fines, or litigation regarding equal employment practices.
Sustainability Reporting
General Recommendation: Generally vote for proposals requesting that a company report on its policies, initiatives, and oversight mechanisms related to social, economic, and environmental sustainability, unless:
The company already discloses similar information through existing reports or policies such as an environment, health, and safety (EHS) report; a comprehensive code of corporate conduct; and/or a diversity report; or
The company has formally committed to the implementation of a reporting program based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines or a similar standard within a specified time frame.
B-11

 

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Compensation-Related Proposals
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on proposals to link, or report on linking, executive compensation to sustainability (environmental and social) criteria, considering:
Whether the company has significant and/or persistent controversies or regulatory violations regarding social and/or environmental issues;
Whether the company has management systems and oversight mechanisms in place regarding its social and environmental performance;
The degree to which industry peers have incorporated similar non-financial performance criteria in their executive compensation practices; and
The company's current level of disclosure regarding its environmental and social performance.
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B-12


DIREXION SHARES ETF TRUST

PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

Item 28. Exhibits

 

(a)   (i)    Certificate of Trust dated April 23, 2008 is herein incorporated by reference from the Direxion Shares ETF Trust’s (the “Trust”) Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on April 30, 2008.
  (ii)    Trust Instrument is herein incorporated by reference from the Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on August 20, 2008.
(b)      Amended and Restated By-Laws dated February 12, 2015 is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 121 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on February 26, 2015.
(c)      Shareholders’ Rights are contained in Articles IV, V, VI, IX, and X of the Trust’s Trust Instrument and Articles V, VI, VII, VIII and IX of the Trust’s By-Laws.
(d)   (i)(A)    Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“RAM”) dated August 13, 2008 is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 171 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on October 19, 2016.
  (i)(B)    Amended Schedule A to the Investment Advisory Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 179 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on February 15, 2017.
(e)   (i)(A)    Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside”) dated March 31, 2009 is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 171 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on October 19, 2016.
  (i)(B)    Amended Appendix A to the Distribution Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 179 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on February 15, 2017.
  (ii)    Form of Authorized Participant Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on August 20, 2008.
(f)      Bonus, profit sharing contracts – None.
(g)   (i)(A)    Form of Custody Agreement between the Trust and The Bank of New York (“BONY”) is herein incorporated by reference from the Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on August 20, 2008.
  (i)(B)    Tenth Amended Schedule II to the Custody Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 133 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on June 3, 2015.

 

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  (ii)    Custody Agreement between the Trust and U.S Bank National Association is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 89 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on September 16, 2013.
(h)   (i)(A)    Form of Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Trust and BONY is herein incorporated by reference from the Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on August 20, 2008.
  (i)(B)    Ninth Amended Appendix I to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 133 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on June 3, 2015.
  (ii)    Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 89 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on September 16, 2013.
  (iii)    Fund Administration Agreement between the Trust and U. S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 80 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on November 30, 2012.
  (iv)(A)    Fund Accounting Agreement between the Trust and BONY is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 80 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on November 30, 2012.
  (iv)(B)    Amended Exhibit A to the Fund Accounting Agreement between the Trust and BONY is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 133 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on June 3, 2015.
  (v)    Fund Accounting Agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 89 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on September 16, 2013.
  (vi)(A)    Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 69 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on June 13, 2012.
  (vi)(B)    Amended Schedule A to the Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 179 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on February 15, 2017.
  (vii)(A)    Third Amended and Restated Operating Expense Limitation Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 179 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on February 15, 2017.
  (vii)(B)    Amended Appendix A to the Third Amended and Restated Operating Expense Limitation Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 179 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on February 15, 2017.
  (viii)(A)    Management Services Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 155 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on December 18, 2015.
  (viii)(B)    Amended Schedule A to the Management Services Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 179 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on February 15, 2017.
(i)      Opinion and consent of counsel – filed herewith.

 

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(j)      Power of Attorney and Certified Resolutions is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 118 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on December 22, 2014.
(k)      Financial Statements omitted from prospectus – None.
(l)      Initial Capital Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on August 20, 2008.
(m)   (i)(A)    Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan is herein incorporated by reference from the Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on August 20, 2008.
  (i)(B)    Amended Appendix A to the Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 179 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on February 15, 2017.
(n)      Rule 18f-3 Plan – None.
(o)      Reserved.
(p)      Code of Ethics for the Trust and RAM is herein incorporated by reference from the Post-Effective Amendment No. 158 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A with the SEC on February 26, 2016.

Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant

Immediately prior to the public offering of the Registrant’s shares for each series, the following persons may be deemed individually to control the Funds or the Trust:

Rafferty Asset Management, LLC will be the sole shareholder immediately prior to the public offering of each Fund.

Item 30. Indemnification

Article IX of the Trust Instrument of the Registrant provides as follows:

Section 1. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. All persons contracting with or having any claim against the Trust or a particular Series shall look only to the assets of the Trust or Assets belonging to such Series, respectively, for payment under such contract or claim; and neither the Trustees nor any of the Trust’s officers or employees, whether past, present or future, shall be personally liable therefor. Every written instrument or obligation on behalf of the Trust or any Series may contain a statement to the foregoing effect, but the absence of such statement shall not operate to make any Trustee or officer of the Trust liable thereunder. Provided they have exercised reasonable care and have acted under the reasonable belief that their actions are in the best interest of the Trust, the Trustees and officers of the Trust shall not be responsible or liable for any act or omission or for neglect or wrongdoing of them or any officer, agent, employee, investment adviser, principal underwriter or independent contractor of the Trust, but nothing contained in this Trust Instrument or in the Delaware Act shall protect any Trustee or officer of the Trust against liability to the Trust or to Shareholders to which he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

 

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Section 2. INDEMNIFICATION.

 

  (a) Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in subsection (b) below:

 

  (i) every person who is, or has been, a Trustee or an officer, employee or agent of the Trust, including persons who act at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (“Covered Person”) shall be indemnified by the Trust or the appropriate Series to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him or her in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he or she becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his or her being or having been a Covered Person and against amounts paid or incurred by him or her in the settlement thereof.

 

  (ii) as used herein, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, actions, suits or proceedings (civil, criminal or other, including appeals), actual or threatened, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include, without limitation, counsel fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.

 

  (b) No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person:

 

  (i) who shall have been adjudicated by a court or body before which the proceeding was brought (A) to be liable to the Trust or its Shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office or (B) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his or her action was in the best interest of the Trust; or

 

  (ii) in the event of a settlement, if there has been a determination that such Covered Person engaged in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office: (A) by the court or other body approving the settlement; (B) by at least a majority of those Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor are parties to the matter based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry); or (C) by written opinion of independent legal counsel based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry).

 

  (c) The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not be exclusive of or affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of a Covered Person. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which Trust personnel other than Covered Persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law.

 

  (d) To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, expenses in connection with the preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding of the character described in subsection (a) of this Section shall be paid by the Trust or applicable Series from time to time prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Covered Person that such amount will be paid over by him or her to the Trust or applicable Series if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to indemnification under this Section.

 

  (e) Any repeal or modification of this Article IX by the Shareholders, or adoption or modification of any other provision of this Trust Instrument or the By-laws inconsistent with this Article, shall be prospective only, to the extent that such, repeal or modification would, if applied retrospectively, adversely affect any limitation on the liability of any Covered Person or indemnification available to any Covered Person with respect to any act or omission which occurred prior to such repeal, modification or adoption.

Section 3. INDEMNIFICATION OF SHAREHOLDERS. If any Shareholder or former Shareholder of any Series is held personally liable solely by reason of his or her being or having been a Shareholder and not because of his or her acts or omissions or for some other reason, the Shareholder or former Shareholder (or his or her heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives or, in the case of any entity, its general successor) shall be entitled out of the Assets belonging to the applicable Series to be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability. The Trust, on behalf of the affected Series, shall, upon request by such Shareholder or former Shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against him or her for any act or obligation of the Series and satisfy any judgment thereon from the Assets belonging to the Series.

 

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Article IX, Section 3 of the By-laws of the Registrant provides as follows:

Section 3. Advance Payment of Indemnifiable Expenses. Expenses incurred by an agent in connection with the preparation and presentation of a defense to any proceeding may be paid by the Trust from time to time prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by, or on behalf of, such agent that such amount will be paid over by him or her to the Trust if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to indemnification; provided, however, that (a) such agent shall have provided appropriate security for such undertaking, (b) the Trust is insured against losses arising out of any such advance payments, or (c) either a majority of the Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor parties to the proceeding, or independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall have determined, based upon a review of the readily available facts (as opposed to a trial-type inquiry or full investigation), that there is reason to believe that such agent will be found entitled to indemnification.

Section 7 of the Investment Advisory Agreement provides as follows:

The Adviser shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust or any Fund in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relate except a loss resulting from the willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under this Agreement. Any person, even though also an officer, partner, employee, or agent of the Adviser, who may be or become an officer, trustee, employee or agent of the Trust shall be deemed, when rendering services to the Trust or acting in any business of the Trust, to be rendering such services to or acting solely for the Trust and not as an officer, partner, employee, or agent or one under the control or direction of the Adviser even though paid by it.

Section 6 of the Distribution Agreement provides as follows:

(a) The Trust agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Distributor, its affiliates and each of their directors, officers and employees and agents and any person who controls the Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (any of the Distributor, its officers, employees, agents and directors or such control persons, for purposes of this paragraph, a “Distributor Indemnitee”) against any loss, liability, claim, damages or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damages or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) arising out of or based upon (i) any claim that the Registration Statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information, Product Description, shareholder reports, sales literature and advertisements specifically approved by the Trust and Investment Adviser or other information filed or made public by the Trust (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein (and in the case of the Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information and Product Description, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading under the 1933 Act, or any other statute or the common law, (ii) the breach by the Trust of any obligation, representation or warranty contained in this Agreement or (iii) the Trust’s failure to comply in any material respect with applicable securities laws.

The Trust does not agree to indemnify the Distributor or hold it harmless to the extent that the statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf of the Distributor. The Trust will also not indemnify any Distributor Indemnitee with respect to any untrue statement or omission made in the Registration Statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information or Product Description that is subsequently corrected in such document (or an amendment thereof or supplement thereto) if a copy of the Prospectus (or such amendment or supplement) was not sent or given to the person asserting any such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense at or before the written confirmation to such person in any case where such delivery is required by the 1933 Act and the Trust had notified the Distributor of the amendment or supplement prior to the

 

5


sending of the confirmation. In no case (i) is the indemnity of the Trust in favor of any Distributor Indemnitee to be deemed to protect the Distributor Indemnitee against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which the Distributor Indemnitee would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement, or (ii) is the Trust to be liable under its indemnity agreement contained in this Section with respect to any claim made against any Distributor Indemnitee unless the Distributor Indemnitee shall have notified the Trust in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon Distributor Indemnitee (or after Distributor Indemnitee shall have received notice of service on any designated agent).

Failure to notify the Trust of any claim shall not relieve the Trust from any liability that it may have to any Distributor Indemnitee against whom such action is brought unless failure or delay to so notify the Trust prejudices the Trust’s ability to defend against such claim. The Trust shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense, or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any claims, but if the Trust elects to assume the defense, the defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by it and satisfactory to Distributor Indemnitee, defendant or defendants in the suit. In the event the Trust elects to assume the defense of any suit and retain counsel, Distributor Indemnitee, defendant or defendants in the suit, shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by them. If the Trust does not elect to assume the defense of any suit, it will reimburse the Distributor Indemnitee, defendant or defendants in the suit, for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them. The Trust agrees to notify the Distributor promptly of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against it or any of its officers or Trustees in connection with the issuance or sale of any of the Creation Units or the Shares.

(b) The Distributor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust and each of its Trustees and officers and any person who controls the Trust within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (for purposes of this paragraph, the Trust and each of its Trustees and officers and its controlling persons are collectively referred to as the “Trust Affiliates”) against any loss, liability, claim, damages or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damages or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) arising out of or based upon (i) the allegation of any wrongful act of the Distributor or any of its directors, officers, employees, (ii) the breach of any obligation, representation or warranty pursuant to this Agreement by the Distributor, (iii) the Distributor’s failure to comply in any material respect with applicable securities laws, including applicable FINRA regulations, or (iv) any allegation that the Registration Statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information, Product Description, shareholder reports, any information or materials relating to the Funds (as described in section 3(g)) or other information filed or made public by the Trust (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements not misleading, insofar as such statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf of the Distributor, it being understood that the Trust will rely upon certain information provided by the Distributor for use in the preparation of the Registration Statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information, Product Description, shareholder reports or other information relating to the Funds or made public by the Trust.

In no case (i) is the indemnity of the Distributor in favor of any Trust Affiliate to be deemed to protect any Trust Affiliate against any liability to the Trust or its security holders to which such Trust Affiliate would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, or (ii) is the Distributor to be liable under its indemnity agreement contained in this Section with respect to any claim made against any Trust Affiliate unless the Trust Affiliate shall have notified the Distributor in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon the Trust Affiliate (or after the Trust Affiliate shall have received notice of service on any designated agent).

 

6


Failure to notify the Distributor of any claim shall not relieve the Distributor from any liability that it may have to the Trust Affiliate against whom such action is brought unless failure or delay to so notify the Distributor prejudices the Distributor’s ability to defend against such claim. The Distributor shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce the claim, but if the Distributor elects to assume the defense, the defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by it and satisfactory to the Trust, its officers and Board and to any controlling person or persons, defendant or defendants in the suit. In the event that Distributor elects to assume the defense of any suit and retain counsel, the Trust or controlling person or persons, defendant or defendants in the suit, shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by them. If the Distributor does not elect to assume the defense of any suit, it will reimburse the Trust, its officers and Trustees or controlling person or persons, defendant or defendants in the suit, for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them. The Distributor agrees to notify the Trust promptly of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against it or any of its officers or directors in connection with the issuance or sale of any of the Creation Units or the Shares.

(c) No indemnified party shall settle any claim against it for which it intends to seek indemnification from the indemnifying party, under the terms of section 6(a) or 6(b) above, without the prior written notice to and consent from the indemnifying party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. No indemnified or indemnifying party shall settle any claim unless the settlement contains a full release of liability with respect to the other party in respect of such action. This section 6 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

Section 13 of the Authorized Participant Agreement provides as follows:

(a) The Participant hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Distributor, the Funds, the Index Receipt Agent, their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents, and each person, if any, who controls such persons within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (each an “Indemnified Party”), from and against any loss, liability, cost, or expense (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by such Indemnified Party as a result of (i) any breach by the Participant of any provision of this Agreement; (ii) any failure on the part of the Participant to perform any of its obligations set forth in this Agreement; (iii) any failure by the Participant to comply with applicable laws, including rules and regulations of self-regulatory organizations; (iv) actions of such Indemnified Party in reliance upon any instructions issued in accordance with the Fund Documents, AP Handbook or Annex II (as each may be amended from time to time) reasonably believed by the Distributor and/or the Index Receipt Agent to be genuine and to have been given by the Participant; or (v) the Participant’s failure to complete a Purchase Order or Redemption Order that has been accepted. The Participant understands and agrees that the Funds as third party beneficiaries to this Agreement are entitled to proceed directly against the Participant in the event that the Participant fails to honor any of its obligations under this Agreement that benefit the Fund. The Distributor shall not be liable to the Participant for any damages arising out of mistakes or errors in data provided to the Distributor, or out of interruptions or delays of communications with the Indemnified Parties who are service providers to the Fund, nor is the Distributor liable for any action, representation, or solicitation made by the wholesalers of the Fund.

(b) The Distributor hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Participant and the Index Receipt Agent, their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents, and each person, if any, who controls such persons within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (each an “Indemnified Party”), from and against any loss, liability, cost, or expense (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by such Indemnified Party as a result of (i) any breach by the Distributor of any provision of this Agreement; (ii) any failure on the part of the Distributor to perform any of its obligations set forth in this Agreement; (iii) any failure by the Distributor to comply with applicable laws, including rules and regulations of self-regulatory organizations; or (iv) actions of such Indemnified Party in reliance upon any representations made in accordance with the Fund Documents and AP Handbook (as e ach may be amended from time to time) reasonably believed by the Participant to be genuine and to have been given by the Distributor. The Participant shall not be liable to the Distributor for any damages arising out of mistakes or errors in data provided to the Participant, or out of interruptions or delays of communications with the Indemnified Parties who are service providers to the Fund, nor is the Participant liable for any action, representation, or solicitation made by the wholesalers of the Fund.

 

7


(c) The Funds, the Distributor, the Index Receipt Agent, or any person who controls such persons within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act, shall not be liable to the Participant for any damages arising from any differences in performance between the Deposit Securities in a Fund Deposit and the Fund’s benchmark index.

The general effect of this Indemnification will be to indemnify the officers, trustees, employees and agents of the Registrant from costs and expenses arising from any action, suit or proceeding to which they may be made a party by reason of their being or having been a trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant, except where such action is determined to have arisen out of the willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the trustee’s, officer’s, employee’s or agent’s office.

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser

Rafferty Asset Management, LLC (“Rafferty”) provides investment advisory services to all Funds of the Trust. Rafferty was organized as a New York limited liability corporation in June 1997. Lawrence C. Rafferty controls Rafferty through his ownership in Rafferty Holdings, LLC. Rafferty’s offices are located at 1301 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), 28th Floor, New York, New York 10019. Information as to the directors and officers of Rafferty is included in its current Form ADV filed with the SEC (File No. 801-54679).

Item 32. Principal Underwriter

(a) Foreside Fund Services, LLC, the Registrant’s principal underwriter, also serves as principal underwriter for the following investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended: ABS Long/Short Strategies Fund, Absolute Shares Trust, AdvisorShares Trust, American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Select Funds, Archstone Alternative Solutions Fund, Ark ETF Trust, Avenue Mutual Funds Trust, BP Capital TwinLine Energy Fund, Series of Professionally Managed Portfolios, BP Capital TwinLine MLP Fund, Series of Professionally Managed Portfolios, Braddock Multi-Strategy Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust, Bridgeway Funds, Inc., Davis Fundamental ETF Trust, Center Coast MLP & Infrastructure Fund, Center Coast MLP Focus Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust, Context Capital Funds, CornerCap Group of Funds, Direxion Shares ETF Trust, Eaton Vance NextShares Trust, Eaton Vance NextShares Trust II, EIP Investment Trust, Evanston Alternative Opportunities Fund, Exchange Listed Funds Trust (f/k/a Exchange Traded Concepts Trust II), FEG Absolute Access Fund I LLC, FlexShares Trust, Forum Funds, Forum Funds II, FQF Trust, Guiness Atkinson Funds, Henderson Global Funds, Horizon Spin-off and Corporate Restructuring Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust (f/k/a Liberty Street Horizon Fund), Horizons ETF Trust, Infinity Core Alternative Fund, Ironwood Institutional Multi-Strategy Fund LLC, Ironwood Multi-Strategy Fund LLC, John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Lyons Funds, Manor Investment Funds, Miller/Howard Funds Trust, Miller/Howard High Income Equity Fund, Moerus Worldwide Value Fund, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust IV, Montage Managers Trust, Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund, PENN Capital Funds Trust, Performance Trust Mutual Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers, Pine Grove Alternative Institutional Fund, Plan Investment Fund, Inc., PMC Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers, Quaker Investment Trust, Ramius

 

8


Archview Credit and Distressed Feeder Fund, Ramius Archview Credit and Distressed Fund, Recon Capital Series Trust, Renaissance Capital Greenwich Funds, RMB Investors Trust (f/k/a Burnham Investors Trust), Robinson Opportunistic Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust, Robinson Tax Advantaged Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust, Salient MF Trust, SharesPost 100 Fund, Sound Shore Fund, Inc., Steben Alternative Investment Funds, Steben Select Multi-Strategy Fund, Strategy Shares, The 504 Fund (f/k/a The Pennant 504 Fund), The Community Development Fund, Third Avenue Trust, Third Avenue Variable Series Trust, TIFF Investment Program, Turner Funds, U.S. Global Investors Funds, West Loop Realty Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust (f/k/a Chilton Realty Income & Growth Fund), Wintergreen Fund, Inc., and WisdomTree Trust.

(b) The following table identifies the officers of Foreside and their positions, if any, with the Registrant. The business address of each of these individuals is also indicated below.

 

Name

  

Business Address

  

Position with Underwriter

  

Position
with
Registrant

Richard J. Berthy   

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,

Portland, Maine 04101

   President, Treasurer and Manager    None
Mark A. Fairbanks   

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,

Portland, Maine 04101

   Vice President    None
Jennifer K. DiValerio   

899 Cassatt Road,

400 Berwyn Park, Suite 110, Berwyn, PA 19312

   Vice President    None
Nanette K. Chern   

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,

Portland, Maine 04101

   Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer    None
Jennifer E. Hoopes   

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,

Portland, Maine 04101

   Secretary    None

(c) Not applicable.

Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records

The books and records required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (the “1940 Act”) are maintained in the physical possession of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust’s investment adviser, subadviser, administrator, custodian, subcustodian, or transfer agent.

Item 34. Management Services

Not applicable.

Item 35. Undertakings

Not applicable.

 

9


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”) and the 1940 Act, the Registrant certifies that this Post-Effective Amendment No. 184 to its Registration Statement meets all the requirements for effectiveness pursuant to Rule 485(b) of the Securities Act, and the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 184 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York and the State of New York on April 26, 2017.

 

DIREXION SHARES ETF TRUST
By:  

/s/ Daniel D. O’Neill*

  Daniel D. O’Neill
  Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 184 to its Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

      

Title

  

Date

/s/ Daniel D. O’Neill*

    

Chairman of the Board,

Chief Executive Officer and

   April 26, 2017
Daniel D. O’Neill      Chief Investment Officer   

/s/ Gerald E. Shanley III*

     Trustee    April 26, 2017
Gerald E. Shanley III        

/s/ John Weisser*

     Trustee    April 26, 2017
John Weisser        

/s/ Jacob C. Gaffey*

     Trustee    April 26, 2017
Jacob C. Gaffey        

/s/ David L. Driscoll*

     Trustee    April 26, 2017
David L. Driscoll        

/s/ Eric W. Falkeis*

     Trustee and Principal    April 26, 2017
Eric W. Falkeis      Executive Officer   

/s/ Patrick J. Rudnick*

     Principal Financial Officer    April 26, 2017
Patrick J. Rudnick      and Assistant Secretary   

*By: /s/ Angela Brickl

       

Attorney-In-Fact pursuant to the Power of Attorney filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 118 to the Trust’s Registration Statement filed with the SEC on December 22, 2014.

 


INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit

Number

   Description
(i)    Opinion and Consent of Counsel